Rod Marsh has resigned as Australia's chairman of selectors in the wake of the Test team's 2-0 series loss to South Africa, having been roundly criticized for some of the panel's decisions in recent months. The former Test wicketkeeper announced a month ago that he would step down in mid-2017 but said Wednesday he would vacate the role immediately as the fall-out from Australia's fifth successive Test defeat continued. "This is my own decision and no-one within cricket Australia has pressured me or even suggested that I should do this," Marsh said in a media release. "Clearly, though, it is time for some fresh thinking, just as it is for our Test team to welcome some new faces as we build for the future." Marsh, along with fellow selectors Mark Waugh, Trevor Hohns and Darren Lehmann, also Australia's head coach, had been condemned for a number of selection issues this year. After two poor Tests on the Sri Lanka tour, the selectors promptly dumped opening batsman Joe Burns and No. 3 Usman Khawaja, despite the pair dominating during the previous home summer. Frontline bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were rested for the recent One-Day International series away to South Africa and the under-strength Australian squad were white-washed 5-0. Proteas captain Faf du Plessis said the result gave his team a huge confidence boost ahead of the Test series and felt the bowlers' omission was a mistake on Australia's part. Australia captain Steve Smith declined to criticize the panel after the Hobart loss Tuesday but confirmed he and Lehmann were not getting the team they wanted. ICC reviewing Du Plessis lolly footage Footage showing South Africa captain Faf du Plessis applying saliva to the ball with a lolly in his mouth is being reviewed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to see if he has breached the governing body's code of conduct. A day after South Africa took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Test series in Australia by winning in Hobart, footage emerged showing Du Plessis with a white lolly in his mouth, licking his finger before shining the ball. Applying an artificial substance to alter the condition of the ball contravenes the ICC's code of conduct. "The ICC has been alerted to the footage and is currently reviewing the incident from the perspective of it being a possible breach of the ICC Code of Conduct," an ICC spokesman said in a statement.
