Philander denies making Smith remarks, says account hacked

South African seamer Vernon Philander has said his Twitter account was hacked after an inflammatory message was posted suggesting Australian captain Steve Smith could have avoided an incident that resulted in Kagiso Rabada being suspended. Fast bowler Rabada made contact with Smith's shoulder after dismissing him in the first innings of their six-wicket victory in the second test in Port Elizabeth. He was later found guilty of "inappropriate and deliberate physical contact with a player" by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and will miss the rest of the four-match series.

Good morning all my tweeps. Waking up this morning to alot of twitter craziness as my acc got hacked and someone posted a nice little article on my behalf. Sorry for all the drama or entertainment caused by the looks of it. Have a great day all.

— Vernon Philander (@VDP_24) March 15, 2018

The 22-year-old, who took 11 wickets in the match, has appealed the decision. The tweet, which had a video clip of the incident attached, said Smith was equally guilty and had milked the incident. "Haven't really seen the footage of this incident but by the looks of this ... Steve Smith gave KG (Rabada) the shoulder," it said.

JUST IN: Vernon Philander claims "hackers" sent inflammatory tweet accusing Smith of instigating contact with Rabada: https://t.co/XUJRQsCC3Y #SAvAUS pic.twitter.com/iJ6TLPgqWG

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) March 15, 2018

"He could have avoided any contact but to me he is just as guilty. Trying some football skills to get a penalty??? Pity he didn't dive to top it off." Early on Thursday, however, Philander distanced himself from the comment, saying someone else had posted to his 185,000 followers.

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Also Read: Rabada appeals two-Test ban, Philander blasts Smith

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"Waking up this morning to a lot of twitter craziness as my acc got hacked and someone posted a nice little article on my behalf," he posted after deleting the original message. "Sorry for all the drama or entertainment caused by the looks of it." The episode is the latest twist in a tempestuous test series that has seen five players punished by the ICC.

It's getting ugly! Vernon Philander has taken an extraordinary swipe at the character of Steve Smith https://t.co/EKpxK81tiy pic.twitter.com/ojAtsJ5qJh

— telegraph_sport (@telegraph_sport) March 14, 2018

In the first test in Durban, security cameras captured a heated argument between Warner and South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock after the teams left the field for tea on the fourth day. Warner said the wicketkeeper had made "vile and disgusting" comments about his wife. Warner was fined 75 percent of his match fee, while de Kock was fined 25 percent. Both were given demerit points.

It’s about time the ICC set up a social media cyber crimes unit for all these cricketers who get hacked.

For this hack on Philander, I suspect it was the Syrian Electronic Army, and not Anonymous. Anonymous have long been fans of Smith. https://t.co/sUOMIu0q3W

— Jarrod Kimber (@ajarrodkimber) March 15, 2018

Rabada was handed three demerit points for the shoulder bump in Port Elizabeth, taking him to eight within a two-year period, which triggered an automatic two-match suspension. He was also given another demerit point for a send-off of Warner in the second innings. Australians Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh are the other players to receive fines and demerit points in the series. The third match in the series, which is level at 1-1, starts in Cape Town on March 22.

Vernon Philander says Steve Smith has to share the blame for the incident for which Kagiso Rabada was rubbed out https://t.co/RtF3LEirxF

— The Age Sport (@theagesport) March 14, 2018