JOHANNESBURG, Jan 16: South African Herschelle Gibbs is to lodge an appeal against a two-match ban imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for making derogatory comments about Pakistanis during the first Test on Sunday.

ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed had laid the charge under the governing body's code of conduct after racist and abusive remarks were picked up on a stump microphone at Centurion.

Gibbs had been due to face a Cricket South Africa (CSA) disciplinary hearing chaired by Judge Mervyn King.

However, King said in a statement released on Tuesday that Gibbs, with the assistance of the SA Cricketers' Association, intended to appeal against the ICC findings and the suspension, and therefore the hearing had been postponed.

“As the ICC findings and suspension have a bearing on CSA's disciplinary matter, I have postponed the hearing until after Herschelle Gibbs' appeal proceedings have been completed by the ICC,” King said.—Reuters