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Khalid Latif and Shahzaib Hasan could be facing more charges for breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code.ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB might have found fresh leads in the ongoing investigation into the allegations of corruption surrounding the second season of the PSL. The board issued fresh notices against the players, who are already provisionally suspended, on Monday, asking them to appear for interviews before its Security and Vigilance Department. Latif was asked to appear on April 26, and Hasan on April 27.”In furtherance of its fight against corruption in the game of cricket the Pakistan Cricket Board’s Security and Vigilance Department has today issued fresh Notices of Demand to Cricketers Khalid Latif and Shahzaib Hassan,” PCB said in a statement. “These Notices of Demand have been issued under Article 4.3 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code and require both Cricketers to appear before the PCB Security and Vigilance Department for interviews relating to investigations into possible further breaches of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code.”Article 4.3, as well as requiring the players to be interviewed, allows the PCB to seek any information it believes to be relevant to the case, including access to personal records such as bank statements and phone records.Latif has already been charged with six breaches of the PCB’s anti-corruption code during the PSL in February. He was provisionally suspended for alleged misdemeanours and was sent home from the tournament. He has already challenged those charges and is set to be heard before a three-man tribunal on May 5. He will now, however, appear in this separate investigation on April 26.Latif challenged the status of the tribunal in the Lahore High Court during his hearing last week but the writ petition was shot down by the court. His lawyer subsequently decided to appear before the tribunal under protest.Shahzaib was charged for allegedly failing to report a suspect approach in time and in full detail, and also for allegedly inducing players in corruption. He was charged with breaching three major clauses of the PCB’s anti-corruption code and is scheduled to appear before the tribunal on April 21. He will now have to appear again on April 27.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:34

Chappell: First thought Kuldeep’s selection was gutsy

Kuldeep Yadav’s left-arm wristspin gave this series yet another unexpected twist, trumping the far more consistent theme of the Australian captain Steven Smith’s batting excellence, as India enjoyed the better of the first day of the decisive fourth Test in Dharamsala.Having reached lunch at a domineering 131 for 1, Australia gave up their last nine wickets for a mere 169, all on a surface that showed itself to be by a distance the most evenly paced of the series. That they did so was down largely to Kuldeep, who was given a key role immediately upon the afternoon’s resumption by the stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane and responded with a delectable spell that turned the direction of the day.Though Smith motored to his third century of the series – one of only six visiting batsmen to score that many in India – he was left without significant top-order support, and of the rest only Matthew Wade was able to endure for any protracted period. A good indicator of the different nature of play in Dharamsala was that the innings went by without a single recourse to the DRS, in sharp contrast to earlier matches. The new ball in Australian hands looms large as a key to the match.An irony of Kuldeep’s display was that he had come into the side in place of Virat Kohli, who was reduced to drinks duties after concluding that his strained right shoulder was not going to be 100% fit for this match, the last of the Test season. Turning the ball sharply both ways while maintaining an immaculate length and line, Kuldeep recalled the problems created for Australia by another left-arm wristspinner in Sri Lanka last year – Lakshan Sandakan.The Dharamsala pitch offered pace and bounce for both fast men and spinners to exploit, and it was the fresher fingers of Kuldeep that were best able to take full advantage rather than either Ravindra Jadeja or R Ashwin. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who replaced Ishant Sharma, and Umesh Yadav had both found new-ball movement before Smith took control of proceedings with some help from David Warner.After Rahane lost the toss, Bhuvneshwar’s first ball of the match swerved away from Warner at drivable length. Warner chased it and edged, but the chance was grassed when Karun Nair could get only one hand to it. That incident was a necessary stroke of luck Warner needed after a largely barren series, and after Matt Renshaw was beaten and bowled by a Umesh delivery that straightened down the line, he and Smith were quickly into stride by using the extra pace and bounce offered up by Dharamsala’s hard pitch and thinner atmosphere.1:19

Steven Smith: highest average for a captain v India

Smith wasted little time to get moving, capitalising on any errors in line or length and at one point miscuing a hook at Umesh, so eager was he to get after the bowling. On another day the ball might have plopped into the gloves of Wriddhiman Saha, but here it fell safely.Warner was a little more sluggish after that early chance, covering up in defence to ensure he did not miss any of Bhuvneshwar’s inswingers, and on one occasion cuffing a boundary over the slips when trying to avoid a short ball. The arrival of spin helped Warner build momentum, as the Dharamsala surface offered the odd bit of spin but otherwise played in a friendly fashion in the morning session.Kuldeep was called upon for a pair of overs before the lunch interval, but he too was struck for boundaries as Smith and Warner set a highly promising platform for the tourists.Rahane and his bowlers reset their plans during the interval, focusing on greater economy while encouraging Kuldeep to maintain a full length and test Australia’s batsmen on the drive. Warner seemed preoccupied with trying to cut or force off the back foot, and in trying to do so from a delivery well pitched up, he succeeded only in edging to slip.Shaun Marsh, so stubborn in the second innings in Ranchi, flicked limply at an Umesh delivery and was taken down the leg side cheaply, before Peter Handscomb was out to a lovely piece of bowling from Kuldeep. The ball was tossed up and slower, drifting enough to drag Handscomb’s bat away from his pad and then breaking back through the gap to splay the stumps.Glenn Maxwell thought himself capable of muscling Kuldeep out of the attack and managed one lofted boundary, but he too was unable to be sure of which way the ball was turning. Two balls after reaching the rope, he went back to what he thought was a stock ball and instead found himself beaten and bowled by a googly.Smith’s earlier rapid scoring had slowed, and it was a subdued celebration on reaching three figures. He seemed likely to shepherd Matthew Wade to the tea break, but with five minutes to go edged an Ashwin drifter to slip, the ball after Wade had sneaked a bye from a ball that turned expansively.Pat Cummins, Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon all offered momentary support to Wade, who played sensibly to ensure the visitors at least reached the 300 mark. But Kuldeep’s return to the attack accounted for Cummins, before O’Keefe was run-out by the substitute fielder Shreyas Iyer, who many had expected to be playing in place of Kohli. Needing to win the match to claim the series, India’s selectors had instead gambled on the extra bowler – Kuldeep’s wiles offered the richest of rewards.

ScorecardDuckett scored a double-hundred in Lions colours last summer, but found his trial by spin to be a tougher proposition•Getty Images

If Ben Duckett was looking for an immediate pick-me-up on the England Lions tour of Sri Lanka after his disheartening time in India, he discovered that life can sometimes be less accommodating than that. The teething problems against high-quality spin that abruptly stilled his Test career were again in evidence as Sri Lanka A strolled the first of five one-day matches.Sri Lanka’s 47-run win on a DLS calculation came in mildly farcical circumstances when play was suspended for bad light with England nine-down and still 60 short with five overs remaining. Vikum Sanjaya bowled a bouncer at the Lions’ last man, Josh Poysden, the light meters came out and that was that. It was a predictably unsatisfying end after no overs had been removed when the match had started half-an-hour late after overnight rain.Whether Duckett breaks into the Champions Trophy squad this summer will not entirely depend on his fate over the next 10 days or so – England in June does not bear too much relation to the challenges on subcontinent pitches and he has too much natural talent to be subdued for long – but England will want to see evidence on this tour that he has suffered no lasting effects from his exposure against Ashwin and co.Instead, first up was an uncomfortable reminder of his India issues. This time the off-break bowler was Danushka Gunathilaka, who might not have Ashwin’s reputation – indeed, he has five international wickets in 21 appearances – but who unpicked the Northants’ left-hander efficiently enough. Duckett was 17 when he advanced down the line of leg stump to strike Gunathilaka over the off side only to be stumped by a distance.England have given him every chance to get into one-day mode, omitting him from the four-day leg of the tour as if to stress that they want his rehabilitation to come with a strong one-day bias. They want the Lions players to feel the scrutiny, despite the tiny crowds, and even after one game he will know what they mean.It was Duckett’s prodigious form for the Lions last summer, backed by heavy run-making for Northants, which catapulted him into England reckoning. Four innings brought 448 runs at an average of 224, including an unbeaten 220 against Sri Lanka A in Canterbury. Not that Sri Lanka were likely to suffer any ill effects from those memories with only Thisara Perera, a veteran in A-team terms at 27, surviving from that XI.The presence not just of Thisara Perera, but Kusal Perera too, amplified the difference in experience between the two sides. Sri Lanka had 10 players with international experience, the Perera twosome accounting for more than half of their 400-plus caps. The Lions could point only to a handful of caps for Duckett and the captain, Keaton Jennings, all of them won in recent months.Jennings habitually got out when set in the two four-day matches, so his adept 64 from 70 balls to underpin England’s pursuit of 290 in 48 overs represented an improvement. A top-edged sweep against the round-arm offspin of Shehan Jayasuriya caused his downfall, the first of four Lions wickets to fall for 15 runs in 28 balls and, at 133 for 7, effectively sealed their fate.Sri Lanka’s winning margin was trimmed thanks to a defiant eighth-wicket stand of 73 in 11 overs between Liam Livingstone, who was on the back of two hundreds in a match in Pallekele, and Craig Overton, who had done little else than sit and watch them. Overton’s first match of the tour was an impressive one: an unbeaten 60 from 45 balls – his first List A half-century – plus two top-order wickets in Sri Lanka A’s 278 for 7, an innings ended 11 balls early because of rain. As a youngster, he was a batsman who bowled and to be carded at No 9 here is something that should cause him to aspire to better things.With Sri Lanka A fielding seven left-handers in the top eight, the Lions were grateful not just for Overton’s lead with the ball but also for Livingstone’s sound stint of offspin, only 28 conceded in a spell that allowed little width and, after he dismissed Sandun Weerakkody in his final over, caught at the wicket, rounded off with two legspinners to the incoming right-hander.But the Lions’ seam attack lacked variety, James Fuller had an off-day and Poysden dropped his legspinners repeatedly short and suffered as a consequence. Half-centuries from the openers Kusal Perera and Gunathilaka in an opening stand of 123, plus a hard-hitting unbeaten 56 off 35 balls from Thisara Perera, gave Sri Lanka A dominance they never relinqushed.Outplayed in England last summer, they are a different proposition here. Duckett is not alone in recognising that.

“Decent stick I’ve got, I’ll put that one on ice until next time,” Martin Guptill said about the bat that helped him pile up his series-levelling unbeaten 180 against South Africa.It was a performance he rated as probably his best ODI innings, which would put it ahead of his 237 in the World Cup quarter-final against West Indies, because it came off the back of a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. That was a sentiment supported by his captain Kane Williamson who termed it a “world-class” innings.Guptill had only begun netting a week ago, and the session the day before the fourth ODI was the highest intensity he had trained at since injuring his hamstring before the one-off T20I against South Africa, which followed a previous hamstring strain during the home Chappell-Hadlee series. In all, Guptill has only batted three times in 2017, twice for New Zealand and once for Auckland: his scores 112, 61 and 180 not out.He had spoken before this match of hoping that he could regain the rhythm he had earlier in the season. The outcome was a magnificent display of clean hitting which included 11 sixes and left him with New Zealand’s three highest scores in 50-over cricket.”It’s pretty up there, possibly No.1. I’m reasonably happy with how today went without a lot of preparation,” he said. “It was difficult to bat all round, two-paced, turning, slower balls gripping, it wasn’t easy, and I wanted to create a good partnership. I did that reasonably well and fortunately I was able to get a few out of the middle.”He had immediately jumped in an ice bath after the match and said his hamstrings were “a bit tight” but nothing that wasn’t to be expected.The two camps differed somewhat on how the conditions panned out with AB de Villiers believing the surface eased, starting at the back end of South Africa’s innings when they scored 100 off the last eight overs, but Williamson supported Guptill’s view that it remained a tricky pitch throughout.”I said to Martin when he came off, that’s probably his best, and he’s done it a few times to be fair so there are a few tight comparisons,” Williamson said. “In a chasing effort on what wasn’t an easy surface and to hit the ball the way he did and play with the freedom we know he can and do something special against the best team in the world was a special, world-class effort.”In a chase of 280, Guptill inside-edged his first ball from Kagiso Rabada past the stumps, played out a maiden from Wayne Parnell in the second over and was 2 off 10 balls when he connected with a stinging pull shot off the left-arm quick for the first of his sixes. The splits for his fifties were 38 balls, 44 and 41 with his last 30 runs taking 15 deliveries.”I wanted to give myself a chance really, have a look at what it was doing,” he said. “I got a few away and developed a strike rate early at the top and carried it through.”Guptill’s innings continued an upturn in his fortunes against South Africa. In the previous one-day series between the teams, Guptill scored his first hundred against them in the second match in Potchefstroom having had a previous best of 58 from 12 innings at an average of 14.50. In the space of three innings, the average against South Africa has lifted to 35.92.”I’ve always rated him as a player, he’s had to work through a few things,” de Villiers said. “I was always hoping this day would never come, where he’s figured out his game, playing it nice and late and he’s moving well. I could sit here for quite some time and talk about that knock. It was a very special innings.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:50

Coverdale: Warner must feel in better space than a month ago

Rain cleared in Sydney for the second time in as many days to allow further progression of the SCG Test but Pakistan will require a world record cloudburst of strokes to prevent Australia advancing to a third victory from as many matches in the series on Saturday.A firecracker of an innings by David Warner and handsome hands from Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja helped the hosts set Pakistan a distant 465 to win after Younis Khan’s excellent rearguard dissuaded the hosts from enforcing the follow-on. The wicket of an aggressive Sharjeel Khan gave Smith an opening before the close.The entirety of the first session was lost for the second time in as many days, but Smith’s team made up for lost time by rattling off 241 in a mere 32 overs. Warner was certainly not in the mood to linger, hammering 55 from 27 balls to put Pakistan immediately on the back foot. He took particular toll on Yasir Shah, taking one over for 22.Smith and Khawaja followed up with plenty of telling blows of their own to stretch the lead, with the captain ultimately closing the innings with 16 overs left in the day and another 98 on day five. Sharjeel’s attacking instincts were given brief vent but his time in the middle on debut was ended when he flicked without due care and attention to Warner, lurking at midwicket.Earlier, Yasir had lasted more than an hour in the company of Younis to ensure Smith needed to call upon Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood more than he would have preferred if he were to send Pakistan back in. Hazlewood finished an exemplary display with four wickets, the last of which a sharp reverse swinger to bowl Imran Khan for a duck.Australia had one glimmer of hope to end Pakistan’s innings quickly when play got under way, as Starc coaxed an outside edge from Younis’ bat. However, Matthew Wade, back on the field having missed most of day three due to illness, was unable to hold onto the edge as he dived to his right.By the time Hazlewood found Yasir’s edge, 44 runs had been wiped off the deficit and Younis had gone well past 150. Australia will be without Matt Renshaw, ruled out of the match due to the symptoms of concussion after being struck twice in the helmet in the first three days.Khawaja duly walked out with Warner, and was in a great spot for a spectator as Australia’s vice-captain fired shots to all parts and briefly threatened the world record for fastest Test hundred as a follow-up to his century before lunch on day one of this match.In the end Warner got a fraction ahead of himself, bowled when aiming an ugly smear at Wahab Riaz, but he earned a second standing ovation of the Test and allowed Khawaja and Smith to carry on comfortably in his wake – the captain ended the session with a thumping six into the SCG Members.The runs continued to flow after tea, Smith moving along at a scarcely slower pace than Warner had set, and he was surprised to be given out when the third umpire Ian Gould detected the merest touch on the glove down the leg side when he tried to sweep Yasir. There was time for some flourish from Peter Handscomb before the declaration arrived, leaving Australia with plenty of time to chase a clean sweep of the series.

The ECB has announced final squads for the inaugural North v South series next March, with Mark Wood, Steven Finn and James Vince among those given opportunities to press their claims for England selection in the three 50-over matches.Wood is currently working back to fitness after a third ankle operation in the space of 12 months, having briefly impressed in an England shirt during the ODI series with Pakistan at the end of the summer. His ability to operate at 90mph could make him a key weapon when England challenge for the Champions Trophy next June.Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, said they were hopeful Wood could also be fit for the ODI tour to West Indies in February.”There is a chance he may make the West Indies squad,” Farbrace said. “But for someone like Finny, who has missed out on his place in one-day cricket in recent series, it’s a great opportunity for him to show what he can do and get himself into the one-day side. There’s others – [Dawid] Malan, [Sam] Northeast, people who have been very successful in county cricket who perhaps haven’t had the opportunity, this is a great chance for them.”Vince played all three ODIs on the recent tour of Bangladesh but was dropped from the squad to tour India next month, while Finn’s last limited-overs appearance came in 2015. Vince will captain the South XI and Keaton Jennings will lead the North. Four members of each squad have already been selected via the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s MVP ranking system.Jennings and Ben Duckett, who both made senior England debuts this winter, are joined by Liam Dawson, Tim Bresnan and Harry Gurney as the other capped players involved. Two young legspinners, in Mason Crane and Josh Poysden, have also been included in the 13-man squads.”For all the players selected, the North versus South series is a platform to make an impression,” England’s national selector, James Whitaker, said. “As Andrew Strauss said when he introduced the series before the start of the 2016 season, we see it as an important addition to our selection process in 50-over cricket, ahead of the two major global events we are staging over the next three summers – the Champions Trophy next year and the World Cup in 2019.”With the calibre of the squads we have selected, we are confident there will be an intense and high-quality level of competition that allows us to assess players who are currently just outside the England squad, and their ability to perform at that higher level.”Farbrace will coach the South side while England’s bowling coach, Ottis Gibson, will take charge of the North. Both were involved in selection, while Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, will attend the matches.”The key thing is to give people outside of the current one-day set-up the opportunity to place for England,” Farbrace said. “With an eye on the 2019 World Cup in England, we’re trying to make sure that white-ball cricket has the same importance as red-ball cricket. It’s a brilliant opportunity for players in county cricket who otherwise wouldn’t have been selected.”What we’re saying is, the Lions is one route and county cricket is certainly another route. When people come through the Lions, you know they’ve come through a grounding between county cricket and international cricket, but also there are people capable of coming directly from county cricket. There are some very good county players… So you want the routes to be varied, not just one line into the England team.”Eight members of the Lions squad announced earlier this week for the one-day series against Sri Lanka A in March have been included – Jennings, Joe Clarke, Liam Livingstone, Poysden, Tom Alsop, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Ben Foakes and Tom Curran – while a number of promising players outside the performance programmes, such as Sam Hain, Jack Leaning and Richard Gleeson have also earned call-ups.The squads will gather in Dubai ahead of warm-up matches on March 15. The three-match North v South series will then take place in Dubai, on March 17 and 19, and Abu Dhabi, on March 21.North squad: Keaton Jennings (Durham, capt), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire*), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Jack Leaning (Yorkshire), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire*), Josh Poysden (Warwickshire), Graeme White (Northamptonshire*), Mark Wood (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Richard Gleeson (Northamptonshire), Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire*)South squad: James Vince (Hampshire, capt), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent), Tom Alsop (Hampshire), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Sam Northeast (Kent), Liam Dawson (Hampshire*), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Lewis Gregory (Somerset*), Tim Groenewald (Somerset*), Matt Coles (Kent*), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Mason Crane (Hampshire)*PCA MVP rankings selection

South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis has been found guilty of ball-tampering and fined his entire match fee from the Hobart Test, but will be free to play in Adelaide this week.The charge, laid by ICC chief executive David Richardson, related to clause 2.2.9 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, which deals with “changing the condition of the ball” in breach of the Laws of Cricket. The Laws of Cricket, in turn, allow that players may “polish the ball provided that no artificial substance is used and that such polishing wastes no time”.In laying the charge, the ICC had said that “TV footage appeared to show du Plessis applying saliva and residue from a mint or sweet, an artificial substance, to the ball in an attempt to change its condition” during the Hobart Test. Du Plessis pleaded not guilty to the charge and faced a lengthy hearing before ICC match referee Andy Pycroft in Adelaide on Tuesday.On Tuesday evening, the ICC said in a statement: “The decision was based on the evidence given from the umpires, who confirmed that had they seen the incident they would have taken action immediately, and from Mr Stephenson [MCC head of cricket John Stephenson], who confirmed the view of MCC that the television footage showed an artificial substance being transferred to the ball.”In addition to the fine, three demerit points have been added to the disciplinary record of du Plessis for what was deemed a first offence. If du Plessis reaches four or more demerit points within a two-year period, they will be converted into suspension points and he would face a ban.Cricket South Africa has confirmed that du Plessis, who had been represented by CSA’s legal counsel via teleconference, would appeal the verdict. He has 48 hours from the time of receipt of the written decision to lodge his objections.An appeal would require the matter to be heard from the beginning by a judicial commissioner, who can then increase, decrease or amend the sanction in accordance with the punishments for the particular breach. The maximum penalty for a level 2 breach is a 100% match fee fine and two suspension points, which equates to being banned for one Test. In essence, du Plessis would therefore be risking a ban by attempting to clear his name.Du Plessis’ stoicism in his own innocence has echoed around the South African squad all week. On Tuesday, coach Russell Domingo confirmed, prior to the hearing, that the entire touring party was “standing by our captain.” The squad was at the Adelaide Oval for the full duration of du Plessis’ hearing, conducting their training session. Du Plessis was unable to play any part in the practice as his time with the match referee lasted a full three hours.Australia’s players were also training at Adelaide Oval as the hearing took place. They arrived around 5pm and trained under lights, and as du Plessis left his hearing he walked past several of the Australians, accompanied by CSA’s security officer and team manager. Du Plessis had a coffee in hand and a stony expression on his face, revealing little, but 90 minutes later the guilty was verdict was made public.

Allrounder Jimmy Neesham has been named in New Zealand’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of India, having not played an international since the Brisbane Test against Australia last November. Fast bowler Matt Henry and batsman Jeet Raval have been dropped from the 16-man squad that toured Africa, with Neesham the only addition to what is now a 15-man group.Neesham was forced out of last summer’s Australia tour due to back pain, but he has since then played for Otago during New Zealand’s home season and for Derbyshire in England’s county competition. New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said Neesham’s all-round ability made him an attractive proposition for the tour of India, while Corey Anderson could not be considered due to a back injury.”Jimmy has put in a lot of work to make sure he is physically ready for a return to Test cricket,” Larsen said. “Having two pace-bowling allrounders in Jimmy and Doug Bracewell helps the balance of the squad, particularly if playing on pitches which demand a spin-heavy bowling attack.”Jeet Raval misses out on this tour, but we were really pleased with what we saw of him in Africa. He did everything asked of him and we’ll continue to monitor him closely.””Mitch Santner and Ish Sodhi will have benefitted from getting a taste of Indian conditions earlier this year at the ICC World Twenty20 and both showed excellent form at that tournament. It’s another big challenge for them early in their young careers, as well as for Mark Craig, who has made some changes in the past six months and has shown growth in his game.”India’s the No.2 ranked side in the world, and their record at home is formidable. We’re yet to win a Test series over there and that’s motivating for everyone. We’ve got three Tests to try create a special piece of history.”The first Test is in Kanpur beginning on September 22, followed by Tests in Kolkata and Indore.Squad Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling.

Dale Steyn has reaffirmed his commitment to South African cricket, after an injury-riddled 2015-16 season had cast a shadow over his international future. Steyn missed six of South Africa’s eight Tests last season and was left out of the ODI side that toured the Caribbean for a triangular series in June but says he has returned even more in love with the game than he was before, and is even more determined to keep playing.”I just want to play. I don’t know if I will wake up in a month and can’t do it anymore or if I will wake up in four years and can’t do it anymore. I just really enjoy playing Test cricket. I love it. It’s what I feel I have been put on earth to do,” Steyn said. “I do not know when to pull the plug or when the time to make that decision will come but if I am still making batters jump around and the pace is there, I will carry on doing what I am doing.”Steyn was the leading wicket-taker in the two-match Test series against New Zealand with 10 scalps at 10.20 and claimed his 26th five-for in Centurion to end questions over whether he could regain the fitness and form of the past. When he struggled through last season questions were asked over whether Steyn was spent, but he insists he never thought so.”No, there was never any doubt. I tried to rush back for the Bangalore Test and if I hadn’t, I would have probably played the [rest of the] series against India,” Steyn said, referring to the groin strain he picked up on that tour. “Then, against England, I tried to go from 0 to 100 too quickly and I broke a bone in my shoulder which is very rare. It was not a case of age or ability. There was no doubt that my ability was there or that I could play this game anymore.”Steyn worked his way back through T20, in the IPL, CPL and with Glamorgan, and still needed to prove to himself that he could bowl longer and more sustained spells. Before this Test series, he said he would be happy if he could just get through it injury free. He managed that after bowling more overs than anyone else in South Africa’s pace attack and re-established himself as the leader of the pack. Still, Steyn does not regard himself as more important than anyone else.”This bowling unit is at a stage where everyone can rely on everybody – you don’t have to rely on me,” he said. “Look at KG [Kagiso Rabada], he took 13 wickets here last time [against England]. It’s now about the culture in the side. You can step in and perform. It’s not aimed at one player to mentor anyone.”That may be the case, but Steyn remains the spearhead in every way. He is now six wickets away from overtaking Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker. Considering he is committed to carrying on playing, he seems certain to achieve that, but maintained that is not the missing line on his CV.”When I am 70 years old that’s not what I am going to remember,” Steyn said. “I will remember tonight. I will remember winning in Australia, I will remember winning in England, and hopefully I will remember winning a World Cup too.”

While New Zealand have spent the last two weeks practising patience in anticipation of slow, low conditions in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe cannot wait to get started. They have waited 20 months to play a Test match since visiting Bangladesh at the end of 2014. They have not hosted a Test in almost two years and have not held one in Bulawayo in five. To say they are eager would be an understatement.”My boys are ready,” Makhaya Ntini, Zimbabwe’s interim head coach said. “I say that because they have been waiting for too long to play Test cricket. This country is a Test country and we don’t have enough of those. They have been waiting for too long to show how hungry they are.”In preparation, Zimbabwe’s A side had two matches against South Africa A, the hosts lost the second one, and one against the touring New Zealanders, who also defeated them. Their on-field losses were magnified by the personnel problems due to injuries, which have effectively left an inexperienced attack.Tinashe Panyangara and Tendai Chatara’s injuries have left Zimbabwe’s squad with four other quicks who have two Tests between them. Njabulo Ncube’s came five years ago, against New Zealand, and Donald Tiripano’s against South Africa in August 2014. Taurai Muzarabani and Michael Chinouya are uncapped but have played 61 and 65 first-class matches respectively.Despite the new faces in his pace pack, Ntini insisted he was “not nervous” about how they will fare against batsmen like Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor. “Me? No, I am not nervous. It’s them that are going on the field. For me, it’s just to motivate them, to show them the way and make them believe. If they get selected, it is a very good chance to show what they are capable of,” Ntini said. “We are bringing new things in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has been one of the countries that has been neglected for quite some time. If they get an opportunity, they will utilise it to their full potential.”Among the new things is the freedom to express themselves, something Zimbabwean players have previously steered away from as former coach Alan Butcher wrote in his book , an account of his time in charge. Ntini’s boisterous personality, and famously booming voice, has encouraged everyone around him to follow suit, tell some jokes and just generally have a little more fun.”It’s been good for us to have Makhaya. We were set in our ways for a long time where we didn’t express ourselves. Makhaya, with the way he is, has brought out a few characters in the team which can only be good for us,” Graeme Cremer, Zimbabwe’s newly appointed captain said.Cremer is hopeful that new attitudes will mean his team can make the mental shifts they need to compete in the longest format on a surface that will test the batsmen initially. “We’re a bit short on game time and we need to make a mindset change, from the white ball to the red ball,” he said. “Bulawayo will be a good batting wicket. Once you get in, you can score a lot of runs but it also a wicket where sometimes it is hard to get in. That first 18 balls you’re not sure on the wicket, because it is probably a bit slower than normal.”Cremer’s opposite number Williamson will also lead his team out for the first time but has “not thought a huge amount” about the feelings that may stir up. Instead, Williamson has been consumed by tactical preparation for unfamiliar conditions. conditions. His focus has been on finding different ways to be aggressive on a surface that could lend itself to letting the game drift.”There may not be a huge amount of pace and bounce, so the word ‘attacking’ [could mean something different]. We would like to attack and we’ll certainly try to with bat and ball but at the same time, patience, and how you look to skin it, is the challenge,” Williamson said. “How attacking looks on some of these surfaces, it may not be four slips and two gullies because there might be no point in doing that. It might be looking at how you want to target different areas, where you want to limit scoring. And then if you have an opportunity and you take that wicket, certainly you go all out and try and get another couple. But we know it doesn’t happen too quickly on these sorts of surfaces.”For Zimbabwe, nothing has happened too quickly in Test-cricket terms for several years. They have long periods of inaction between short series and there is not much they can do to change that although Ntini does have a vision for how they can ensure higher-profile games in other formats. “Every player hates being part of a country that needs to qualify for a bigger stage. My vision is that between now and 2019, Zimbabwe are not in a position to play qualifiers before they play in the bigger set-up,” he said.Ntini was referring to Zimbabwe’s failure to quality for the main draw of the last World T20 tournaments, and their low ODI ranking which ruled them out of the Champions Trophy. However, should a two-division Test league come to pass, they will also find themselves in the bottom tier and Ntini wants to put them in a position to challenge that, something he knows will take more time than a two-match series against New Zealand. So for now, he just wants them to enjoy something they have waited a long time for.