UPDATE: VERNON Philander has claimed “hackers” were to blame for the explosive late-night rant that has thrown fresh petrol on Kagiso Rabada’s bid to escape suspension at a hearing set down for Monday.

As South Africa braces for its all-or-nothing day in court in front of an International Cricket Council Judicial Commissioner, the home side are powerless to change a perception that they’re a team in denial who just seem to appeal everything.

Just like The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the Proteas may have thrown their hands up so many times when there was nothing to be gained from it, that now they’re in danger of making a mockery of the one case they desperately need to win.

Philander, or someone purporting to be Philander, has made South Africa’s mission to earn Rabada a reprieve and have him play in the third Test starting on Thursday even more impossible.

Rabada’s fast bowling stablemate, or an imposter that had control of his phone, took to twitter shortly after midnight local time to accuse Steve Smith of being the villain in the shoulder bump send-off that has the world’s No.1 bowler staring down the barrel of a two-match ban.

“Haven’t really seen the fotage (sic) of this incident but by the looks of this…Steve Smith gave KG the shoulder,” tweeted Philander with an accompanying video that appeared to show the opposite of what he was claiming.

“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.”

Philander, who is back in his home town of Cape Town and has nine days to kill before the next Test, woke the next morning and deleted the offending tweet before swearing to followers he’d been done over by a well-informed, and reasonably moderate hacker by internet standards.

“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.”

The sideshow doesn’t help the already fragile legal claims of South African cricket who must already overcome the fact Rabada and captain Faf du Plessis have virtually admitted at a press conference that Rabada needs to be “smarter”.

They’ve also conceded they are about “zero” chance of winning their appeal.

It’s an interesting base to start from as Cricket South Africa – who privately know their bid is likely futile – decide whether to pour hundreds of thousands of rand in pursuit of justice for Rabada.

If they are successful or the Commissioner decides to give Rabada a stay of execution, he could still play next Thursday.

World cricket would be better off for Rabada playing – he is the best fast bowler in the game – but the Proteas’ understandable determination to get their man off has been corrupted by ridiculous appeals they’ve lodged in the past on behalf of du Plessis and Quinton de Kock.

Du Plessis appealed his mint-gate ball tampering charge all the way and de Kock challenged the grade one charge he copped in the first Test for making derogatory remarks about David Warner’s wife, Candice. Remarkably, neither du Plessis nor de Kock were facing suspensions, but yet South Africa couldn’t let it go.

It may now come back to bite them.

Not to mention the fact Rabada has a shocking disciplinary record that had him on the brink of suspension leading into this series.

Match referee Jeff Crowe laid the charges against Rabada and is one of the ICC’s most respected figures. The yet to be appointed Judicial Commissioner would effectively have to embarrass and discredit Crowe to get Rabada off.

Crowe and the umpires have already left the series, but would phone in via video link to the hearing and will also likely take place remotely, with Rabada to phone in.

He would either have to completely beat the code of conduct charge and get a downgrade from a grade three to a grade one to play. Getting downgraded to a two would still see him banned.