South Africans claim over ball tampering 'malicious': Strauss

London, Jan 8 (ANI): Skipper Andrew Strauss, who is furious that the hosts made insinuations at England's tactics without making an official complaint over ball tampering charges, has branded the South Africans 'malicious'.

The issue snowballed following TV footage on Tuesday showing Stuart Broad standing on the ball and James Anderson fiddling with it.

Strauss said: "By announcing it to the media without being clear whether they were going to put in a formal complaint, the South Africans have been a little malicious."

"I refute these allegations. I don't feel there was any effort to alter the state of the ball. But I appreciate some of that footage didn't look amazingly good," The Sun quoted Strauss, as saying.

"If the spotlight is on us now, we must be very careful. But what Broad did was not going to help us. His studs could have done in the shiny side, ruining a chance of swing," he added. (ANI)