Gibbs appeals at ICC court

The batsman has appealed against a two-Test ban imposed by the ICC for making racist remarks during the first Test against Pakistan.

South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs has appealed against a two-Test ban imposed by the International Cricket Council for making racist remarks during the first Test against Pakistan.

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Gibbs has informed Cricket South Africa about the appeal. CSA, on their part, have decided to postpone the hearing. "As the ICC findings and suspension have a bearing on CSA's disciplinary matter, I have postponed the hearing until Herschelle Gibbs's appeal proceedings have been completed by the ICC," Judge Mervyn King, who will chair the CSA Disciplinary Committee, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old batsman was banned for two Tests for violating the ICC's players' Code of Conduct after he was caught on the stump microphone saying Pakistani supporters were behaving 'like bloody animals' and something should be done about the "******* Pakistanis" on the fourth day of the Centurion Test on Sunday.

He was found guilty of a Level 3 offence under the ICC Code of Conduct which prohibits using "any language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person's race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin."

The ICC hearing came after the Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed laid down the charges. If found guilty under the Rules and Code of Conduct of Cricket South Africa, Gibbs would have breached the board's clauses on abuse "on the basis of race, religion, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin" and on "unbecoming conduct which brings the board or the game into disrepute".