An International Cricket Council release yesterday confirmed the date of the appeal hearing and of the name of the presiding judicial commissioner, Michael Beloff.
An Oxford-educated English barrister who counts former British prime minister Tony Blair among his friends, Beloff has a prominent track record in sport – he sits on the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Lawyers for Du Plessis and the ICC, who brought the charge against South Africa’s captain after cameras spotted a mint in his mouth while he was shining the ball during the second Test against Australia in Hobart last month, will argue their cases in Dubai.
Du Plessis will join the proceedings on the telephone.
His punishment when he was found guilty by match referee Andy Pycroft was a fine and three demerit points. But if Du Plessis is docked another point by Beloff, he will be banned for the first Test against the Sri Lankans, which starts in Port Elizabeth on December 26.
