SYDNEY – Australian captain Steve Smith has shot down suggestions ofball-tampering after video of him using saliva from the corner of his mouthduring Sunday’s one-day loss to England raised eyebrows.

Smith laughed off the reaction, after watching a replay of the video,saying it was his standard technique for helping shine the white ball withno assistance from any foreign substance.

“It was all spit. People said something about lip balm. If you look at mylips they are pretty dry. I certainly didn’t have any of that on,” he toldreporters Sunday.

“It is just the way I get the spit into the side of my mouth and get somespit onto the ball. There was nothing in it.”

England last month blasted ball-tampering allegations against them as a”beat-up” after footage of England bowler James Anderson working the ballwith his thumbnail drew suspicions during their Ashes test match inMelbourne.

England coach Trevor Bayliss slammed the accusations after formerAustralian test players Shane Warne and Michael Slater suggested it was notallowed.

“It’s a beat-up. As soon as I saw the headlines I raced into the umpiresand that was their words: ‘Nothing to worry about, it was a beat-up,absolutely fine’,” Bayliss said at the time.

England sealed the five-match ODI series in Sydney Sunday when a stunningcentury from Jos Buttler helped the visitors to an unbeatable 3-0 lead — aremarkable turnaround after Australia had trounced them 4-0 in the AshesTests. – AFP