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It’s getting on for mid-September, the Ashes are in the bag, and England’s footballers have just qualified for the World Cup finals. Those are just three significant reasons why no-one other than the 21,000 punters who forked out 70-odd quid to sit in the Rose Bowl’s evening chill will care too much about this latest result. This is just another day, just another defeat, for a team of cricketers going through the motions as the summer winds to a close.Andrew Strauss, inevitably, protested the charge when it was put to him at the end of the match. “We’re not good enough in one-day cricket to sit here and go easy, and I don’t think we have for one minute,” he said. But the evidence is all around him. No single England partnership was worth more than 41, and even that was more than 100 runs fewer than Cameron White and Michael Clarke managed in their game-breaking alliance. Whether they are setting the agenda or chasing the game, England are about as effective as the weather forecasters’ prediction that 2009 would be a “barbeque summer”.”We haven’t played well enough, clearly, but I don’t think it’s for lack of trying,” said Strauss. “We’ve had three poor batting performances, and the first two were very winnable at the halfway mark, but as a batting unit we just haven’t fired. We’ve got to be honest with ourselves and have a look at it, in terms of how we can improve. In one-day cricket, you can’t go into your shell and grind it out, you’ve got to play with enough confidence to put a competitive score on the board, but at the same time make good decisions.”You’ve got to play, in other words, like Cameron White, who started this series with a reputation for a late-innings big hitting, but has morphed remarkably effectively into a man with the range of strokes for all occasions, and the temperament to utilise them at the correct moments. Admittedly he could – and maybe should – have been run out on 46 and 70 (just as he was for 53 in the first match at The Oval) but he didn’t offer a chance off his own bat until he had made 92 and the game was already safe.”The wickets can be quite hard to score on, so you can feel the scoreboard pressure, and pressure from the opposition at times,” said White, who would not have been batting at No. 3 had Ricky Ponting not flown home for a break, and who will not feature there – injuries permitting – for the rest of the series. Either way, he did not snatch at the opportunity, and ended up teaching England’s own batsmen how to survive in their own conditions.”Maybe the scores haven’t been as high because the pitches have been a little tough to score on,” he said. “It just takes a little bit of time to get used to the pace of the pitch, and obviously if you bowl a good length and straight at the stump it is hard to score. It makes the run-rate a little bit slower.””He played it very well,” said Strauss. “When we were trying to squeeze the Australians he played some big shots to keep the momentum going, and he’s taken his chance pretty well. We’re a bit frustrated we didn’t take all our chances, our fielding wasn’t as good as it should have been, but fair play to him, he guided Australia home, which was what was needed in those circumstances – one guy to bat through and get a big score.”And that, as Strauss well knows, is exactly the role he himself should have played in each of the first three games. Regardless of the outcomes in the series to date, England’s captain has still looked the most fluent and classy strokemaker on display. Each of his three innings, however, have been unfulfilled promises, undermined by the wrong shot at the wrong moment, not least as today’s clip to midwicket when, with 63 out of a total of 98 for 4, he had scored almost two-thirds of England’s runs.”When you’re batting well, you have to make hay,” said Strauss. “But I haven’t done that, and that’s frustrating. Every time you pull on an England shirt you’ve got a chance to go on and achieve something, and I am as culpable as anyone.”England have two days to regroup before returning to Lord’s for the first of their four must-win matches, and though Stuart Broad will be back to shore up the seam attack, Joe Denly’s football-crunched knee is likely to keep him sidelined for yet another contest. With Kevin Pietersen proving an immeasurably huge void to fill, and Paul Collingwood so exhausted after featuring in every single international fixture this year that he has reportedly asked to be released from his Champions League obligations with Delhi Daredevils, there’s little immediate hope of arresting the current decline.So, can Australia achieve an unprecedented feat, and complete a 7-0 whitewash? “Yes, at the moment,” said White. “I think, if we keep playing good, consistent cricket, keep bowling and fielding well, there’s no reason why not. I definitely think we want to keep the momentum going, and I don’t think we’re playing at our total best at the moment.”There are still areas we feel we can improve in,” he said. “There’s probably things we’ve got to work on to get better in the rest of these four games, and hopefully come four more games time, we are at our peak. Seven one-day wins against a really good side would be a pretty strange thing to happen, but I’m not saying it can’t.”Nor, at this moment in time, are many of the few people in England still paying any attention.

Irfan Pathan, once a mainstay of the Indian bowling attack, has vowed to come back strongly in the international circuit after not being considered for the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.”It has been happening with me for the last five-six years,” he said. “Even if I have done slightly bad, I am getting dropped. At the same time, I am not looking for excuse. As selectors have dropped me, I think I have gone one step down in terms of performance.”Pathan last represented India in a losing cause against West Indies in the ICC World Twenty20. His last one-day appearances for India were in the series in Sri Lanka, where he took four wickets but leaked 7.06 runs an over in two matches. What has also hurt his chances of making the national side is that his batting has fallen away in ODIs – he has not scored a half-century in nearly three years.During India’s dismal World Twenty20 campaign, he picked up only one wicket and did not contribute much with the bat either. He’s not been a part of the Test side since the home series against South Africa in April 2008.However, Irfan was confident of launching a successful return and had faith in his ability. “I have never run away from challenges,” he said. “It’s important to take challenge and move ahead in your life. I want to reach a level where no one can touch me or drop me. It’s not being optimistic, it’s my belief and I have full confidence in that.”Irfan came into the limelight on India’s tour of Australia in 2003-04, where, in the absence of Zaheer Khan, he led the Indian attack. Since then, he has played 107 ODIs, taking 152 wickets at 29.91 and proved his skill with the bat. However, a slump in form cost him his place. Since the start of 2008, he’s managed 25 wickets in 22 games with an average of 40.60, and just 17.76 with the bat.”I am just 24-25 and I don’t think many people have achieved what I have. I can go on telling about World Cup finals and so many other achievements,” he said, “But at the moment, my performance is down so I am out. I am never a person with excuses. I can say a number of excuses but I don’t think that’s my foray. If I am dropped, that means something is wrong, I have to sort that out.When asked if an increased focus on batting had an impact on his bowling, Irfan insisted that was not the case. “I don’t think it has affected my bowling,” he said. “At junior level for Baroda, I have batted at Nos 3 and 4, so I don’t think it is an issue. I have always said that I am a bowler who wants to contribute with the bat as well. With the time, I am going to be an allrounder well. But I have to play continuous cricket as well.”

Umar Akmal, who destroyed Sri Lanka with a magnificent maiden one-day international century in the fourth ODI at the Premadasa Stadium, has said that he had learned to tackle pressure from his elder brother Kamran Akmal, also a free-scoring batsman.Umar walked in with his team at 130 for 4 in the 26th over and went on to add a crucial 176 with his captain Younis Khan to raise his team’s total to 321. The hosts were bowled out for 175, handing Pakistan their first win on tour. Pakistan trail the five-match series 3-1 with the final game on Sunday.”I’ve learnt a lot from my brother on how to tackle pressure. When the team needed runs I knew how to play according to the situation,” Umar said after his blazing unbeaten 102 off 72 balls that comprised four sixes and five fours.”I am thankful to the team management for selecting me and placing faith in my ability. The captain, coach and senior members helped me.”Umar, 19, impressed with a typically aggressive fifty in the third ODI in Dambulla and the twin knocks have impressed his coach, Intikhab Alam.”I don’t think you can say that Umar resembles his elder brother in the way he plays. It’s his natural ability to hit the ball,” Intikhab said. “The good thing about him is that he is not afraid to play his shots. He accepts challenges and to hit Lasith Malinga over his head for a six is not a joke. You’ve got to have a lot of ability to do that. It would have given him a lot of confidence.”Umar has already made his mark, especially coming into the Pakistan team and the way he played showed a lot of maturity. This is what we need: young lads with strong legs and strong minds. The way he went through the whole situation and the whole scenario, full marks to him. He’s got a long way to go but also a tremendous future.”Recently he went to Australia with the Pakistan A team and scored three hundreds. We knew exactly what he was doing there so we all thought after the Test matches that this young boy has done well and deserves some recognition. He’s been batting well before and also in domestic cricket. We thought it is the right time to get him over for the ODIs.”Intikhab said the wonderful partnership between Umar and captain Younis (89) gave a lot of confidence to the team for the final ODI and the Twenty20. The pair added 176 off 139 balls for the fifth wicket, with Umar’s contribution being 95.

Jim Allenby, the Australian-born allrounder, will leave Leicestershire after failing to sign a contract extension. His three-year extension offer was withdrawn, after Allenby failed to sign it before the July 31 deadline, because he wanted more time to make a decision.Earlier this month, Allenby indicated he wanted to play for England, an ambition which was the cause of the delay in signing a new deal at Grace Road. “I’m extremely disappointed. I hadn’t made my mind up to leave the club. I was considering all my options with advice from people I trust,” Allenby told the . “It is the most important decision of my career. If I am going to play for England, it will happen in that time.”David Smith, Leicestershire’s chief executive, said that Allenby approached the club about a possible contract extension over a year ago, and was offered a two-year extension. “He decided to circulate his details to other counties during May of the current season,” Smith said. “The club then made an improved three-year contract offer in early June as we saw Jim as an important part of the future.”During the last few days, the club has worked closely with the players association (PCA) to find an agreement but, following a meeting on Wednesday, Jim confirmed that he would not agree to sign the contract before the pre-agreed deadline.”

Surely it wouldn’t happen again? This South African team was primed, ready and in-form. They had all the bases covered and had come through unbeaten to the semi-final. They had countered pressure on numerous occasions in the past two years and had even employed a psychologist who had helped them counter the mind games. Once again, though, it all came to nothing.The look on Graeme Smith’s face as he sat in the dug-out during the closing stages of South Africa’s failed run chase was worth a thousand words. History was repeating itself as the favourites were dumped out of another tournament before the final that seemed destined to be theirs. It took until about the half-way mark of the press conference for someone to use the inevitable ‘c’ word, but Smith was ready for it; after all he’s had practice.”Every time we lose an important game like this the word is going to be thrown around, it’s around the team, and it was natural if we didn’t win today people were going to raise that comment,” he said. “This tournament is almost a knock-out from the word go. Maybe other teams choked in the Super Eights phase.”It is Twenty20 cricket, you are playing against international opposition with quality players and sometimes you get beaten. Today we were beaten. That’s the unfortunate thing, with the level we’ve played at throughout we probably deserve to be in the final but that’s not the way it works and that’s what makes the game so great. We were beaten by a great performance from Shahid Afridi and a Pakistan team that played better than us. That’s something we’ve got to deal with.”Smith, though, was adamant that his players hadn’t frozen and the quality of Pakistan’s bowling gave strong supporting evidence. “We were just beaten on the day by a better team. We gave 100%, we were nice and relaxed and we were beaten and that’s the sad reality for us and we’ll come back next time and give our best again.”Leading into this match South Africa had brought impressive consistency to the most unpredictable format of the game, but this match showed that they haven’t found all the answers. The margins in Twenty20 are so fine that even the slightest mistake, or momentary lapse, can prove the difference and there were the occasional moments when South Africa weren’t as sharp as in previous encounters.There were more misfields than in the other five matches put together – starting with the captain diving over the ball at mid-off – and Johan Botha gave Shahid Afridi three half volleys in a row outside off stump that he hammered through the covers. However, it wasn’t those moments that lost South Africa the match, but the lack of momentum in the middle overs of the run chase. For that, huge credit must go to the Pakistan attack.Smith and Jacques Kallis had added 40 in 5.5 overs, however, when they were separated the innings seized up. The key again, as so often in Twenty20, was spin. South Africa had struggled in their previous game against India against the slow bowlers, but got away with it when their own attack exploited a crumbling pitch. Smith was critical of the surface for that game, perhaps fearful that in a match which mattered it could be a deciding factor.”Playing spin, especially here at Trent Bridge, has been difficult for a period of time and chasing here has been difficult,” Smith said. “The wicket has got drier since the warm-up games and has taken more spin. It’s a natural progression due to the amount cricket played on it and both teams knew what it would be like.”Not for the first time attention will be given to Kallis’ innings, which ended in the 18th over for 64 from 54 balls. He didn’t play the inaugural World Twenty20, but has returned as an opener who can anchor the innings. He was solid during the IPL and it worked perfectly for South Africa during a small chase against England. Here the problem was no-one played around him.When Kallis was caught at long-on the other batsmen had produced 37 runs off 49 deliveries. Kallis was doing his job but was let down by those selected for the big shots and it’s one of the disappointments of the tournament that Albie Morkel never teed off. On the eve of the match Mickey Arthur, the coach, was asked about any concerns over the middle order’s lack of batting, but said he was confident in their form and at some stage they would have to win a game. That moment has now been and gone.”It’s difficult to blame Jacques, he played a good innings from our point of view. I don’t think we batted that well around him,” Smith said. “The guys coming in never really kicked on around him. You can always look at little things, but he played a good knock.”So much has gone right for South Africa in recent times that it felt that if they were ever going to slay the semi-final demon it would be here. The response now they haven’t managed it will show how deep the team can dig. “It is really disappointing and it’s a hard step to get over,” Smith said, “but we’ve just got to keep playing with an open mind and hopefully that final will come along.”He won’t have to wait too long for another chance. Although this defeat marks the end of a long road of almost non-stop action, when the players return to duty in September their first assignment will be the Champions Trophy on home soil. That will bring both pressure and expectation as the challenge starts again. For now, the wait goes on and the tag remains.

Laurie Peters, Namibia’s chief executive, has called the ICC’s decision to restructure the Intercontinental Cup “disappointing” and said that it will have a negative affect on cricket in the country.Last month, Namibia finished eighth in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers which should have been enough to secure them a place in the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup. But at an ICC development committee meeting earlier this week, the competition was restructured and Namibia, who finished runners-up in the 2007-08 event, were demoted to a four-team second division known as the Intercontinental Shield. A further blow was that the ICC ruled out any promotion or relegation between the divisions.”It’s disappointing, and I not only see this as a Namibia issue but a development one in its entirety,” Peters told Cricinfo. “The ICC are all excited that there are now ten [Associate] countries competing against eight previously. One has to ask: is this an extension of the competition … what competition? The four countries competing in the Shield will have three matches each and not even the incentive of a promotion-relegation match.”Previously, eight countries participated. Should Zimbabwe decide to compete why not then have six in the Cup, and five in the Shield, with the opportunity at least one more game plus a promotion/relegation match.”It’s important that the top Associate countries compete against the Full Members to prove that there is improvement and progress. However, the fact [Zimbabwe are] brought in the Intercontinental Cup at the expense of an Associate is very disappointing and sad for development.”Peters was also worried that much of the development work inside Namibia would be undermined. “This will have its repercussions. The previous Intercontinental Cup raised a great amount of awareness, excitement and interest in our country. The final of the Intercontinental Cup had flashes and updates on four radio stations every five minutes. Suddenly cricket had a following amongst the local people that was there never before.”He was also concerned that there would be much less cricket for the national team against lower-profile opponents. In 2007-08 Namibia played seven Intercontinental Cup group games plus a final. This time round, they will have three matches against Bermuda, Uganda and UAE, with the possibility that only one will be at home.”[It does] nothing to raise awareness and interest and serve the development of cricket,” Peters said. “This is a backward step in itself. Our sponsors have been wonderful over the past years but it will have be ‘wait and see’ as to the effect on our sponsorship.”

The ECB has defended its decision to host the first Test of the summer on a Wednesday and insist they have yet to receive a single complaint from the paying public. England beat West Indies by ten wickets inside three days yesterday, leaving Lord’s unusually quiet on a Saturday, in what is normally one of the English summer’s biggest sporting and social occasions.Twenty-thousand ticket-holders who paid to see the fourth day at Lord’s will now receive a full refund, as well as the chance to see one of two warm-up days of the ICC World Twenty20 at a 50% discount. In missing out on a Lord’s Saturday, MCC have lost in the region of £200,000 in revenue.”These 20,000 people now have an opportunity to come and watch someTwenty20 cricket at half price in addition to getting a full refund and we have had nocomplaints at all,” an ECB spokesman told PA. “Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are becoming normal Test match start days for Test matches in England and Wales.”This is not the first one to have started on a Wednesday nor will it be the last one.”Test matches around the world start on different days and whatever day youstart you can argue against it. If you start on a Friday people complain aboutthe loss of corporate hospitality on a Thursday.”The people who turned up to the first three days of the Test match are no doubt delighted about the fact they saw an England team which played attacking cricket and secured a resounding win.”The ECB announced that ticket-holders for Saturday will received a 50% discount for either June 1 or June 3 of the warm-up days of the World Twenty20. The warm-up matches are between Ireland and Netherlands and New Zealand versus India on June 1, or Sri Lanka and South Africa and England versus West Indies on June 3.

RP Singh, who has been recalled to the India side for the World Twenty20 after being out of the India team for nearly seven months, has said he would like to take the new ball on his comeback in June. Forced out by a loss of form in subcontinent conditions, and kept there by shoulder and hamstring injuries, RP has bounced back during the IPL with commanding spells in both the Powerplays and the death overs.”I will fit into the role the captain and coach want me to perform,” RP told Cricinfo. “[But] I think the new ball is a better option for me because I’m now doing well sharing the new ball even in the IPL.” If he does get the new ball, India will have to split the successful pairing of Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma. But they have done that before in limited-overs game, with Praveen Kumar getting the new ball ahead of Ishant.RP has 12 wickets so far in the IPL, two fewer wickets than the current purple cap holder Yusuf Abdulla of Kings XI Punjab but having played one game less.He is proud of having made the comeback. “It is not easy to come back. One has to wait for long, play a lot of matches and perform, but luckily I have been recalled once again,” RP said.In 2008 RP was dropped after the first two games of the home ODI series against England, when he managed to pick up a solitary wicket. It was just a continuation of a bad patch that began in March 2008 with the home Test series against South Africa, where he went wicketless, followed by inconsistent performances in the Kitply Cup, Asia Cup and the ODI series in Sri Lanka. Even before his exit, sitting on the bench seemed to affect his confidence.”Injuries pushed back my career. The constant niggles did not allow me to play consistently and my morale was down when I was sitting on the bench. I’m a rhythm bowler, and the more I play the better I do. I did not play much last year, which didn’t help.”Even in domestic cricket he missed the crucial Ranji Trophy quarter-finals and semi-finals for Uttar Pradesh before managing a lukewarm return in the final, which UP lost to Mumbai, picking three wickets. But that did not dissuade RP, who had finished the third-best bowler (12 wickets at 6.33) in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup, held in South Africa in 2007. He continued with his rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore.”I did not think much about what was going wrong, but I just focused on the basics. I have developed some variations like the slower ball, which I am benefiting from,” RP said. If anything, sitting out has made him much smarter with the ball: “I now have a better understanding on which areas to bowl, what length to pitch and to bowl according to the situation. [This] only comes with experience.”Back to his favorite South Africa, RP has peaked at the right time. “I’m proud that I am a contender for the purple cap at the halfway stage. It is a big responsibility, and I’m the senior bowler for [Deccan] Chargers,” RP said.The World Twenty20 begins in England barely two weeks after the IPL, but RP reckons adapting to the English conditions would not be an issue in times when cricketers are comfortable living out of a suitcase. Incidentally, like South Africa, England has been a favourite place for RP, who on his last visit there put his name up on the Lord’s honours board with a five-for and played an integral role in the historic 1-0 Test series win two summers ago.His form then could have swayed the selectors’s view now. Hardly so, according to RP. “That was the past. I don’t think that has played a part in my selection. In case they did look back, then, based on my form in the past I probably shouldn’t have been out.” Undoubtedly RP is still bitter about not being picked for the New Zealand tour, which he was “confident” about, but he took it in his stride.His plans for the World Twenty20 are simple: play the mental game. “It is a totally batsman-dominated game, so mentally you need to be strong. The pitch doesn’t make much of a difference. What does matter is bowling to a plan and bowling to a field. Now I’ve become better and understand what fields suit my bowling.”

Johan Botha has described as “pretty simple” the work required to remedy his bowling action, but the controversial spinner has nonetheless been stood down from the South African side for the fifth one-day international against Australia. Under ICC guidelines, Botha was eligible for selection in the series finale at the Wanderers on Friday despite being cited for a suspect action after Monday’s match in Port Elizabeth, but team management opted against the move in a bid to shield their vice-captain from the spotlight.Botha is expected to fly to Perth in the coming days to undergo testing at the University of Western Australia. The examination will most likely be carried out by Bruce Elliott, the ICC-approved biomechanist who twice tested Botha in 2006, and comes after umpires officiating the fourth one-day international at St George’s Park queried his doosra and faster deliveries. Botha, though, believes only minor tweaking will be required to rectify his action.”We know what we want to do and we know what we need to do,” Botha told Cricinfo. “It’s pretty simple.”Graeme Smith, the South African captain, told reporters in Johannesburg that the move to stand Botha down from the fifth one-day was designed to relieve the pressure on him. Smith said Botha had been working on his action with South Africa’s bowling coach, Vinnie Barnes, in recent days and reiterated that the spinner remained an integral member of his one-day squad.”We just felt it was important to take the focus off him,” Smith said.Wayne Parnell, South Africa’s promising teenage fast bowler, was also left out for the final one-dayer against Australia at the Wanderers; a match that assumed dead-rubber status with the hosts’ 61-run victory at St George’s Park on Monday. Parnell and Botha were replaced by Morne Morkel and Makhaya Ntini.Victory in Johannesburg will cap a successful campaign for the South Africans, during which they claimed a stunning 2-1 Test victory in Australia and won back-to-back limited overs series against Ponting’s men, taking them to the top of the ODI rankings. Another loss for Australia, meanwhile, would confirm their drop to No. 3 in the ODI rankings, behind South Africa and India.”If I look back at the highlights over the past 18 months, I have to put the away Test series victories over England and Australia at the top of the list,” Smith said. “These have been the two toughest assignments for South African cricket in the past and to have achieved both of those successes in the space of six months has been very special for this team. The other major highlight must be the achievement of winning both the Test and ODI series in Australia.”On an individual level the most pleasing aspect has been the way the younger players have come through. You need a hard core of experience on which to base a top team and we now have the ideal balance of youth and experience coming together. The emergence of these young players has also enabled us to develop our one-day brand and the type of cricket we want to play.”

Neil McKenzie’s Test career is at the crossroads after he was dropped along with Morne Morkel for the third Test in Cape Town. Ashwell Prince will return to the side as captain to replace the injured Graeme Smith and Prince will also take Smith’s role as opener, alongside the Dolphins batsman Imraan Khan, who is in line for his Test debut.Albie Morkel has a chance to make his first Test appearance having been retained in the squad, while the uncapped fast bowler Wayne Parnell has also been included. McKenzie and Morkel have paid the price for their indifferent form during this series and McKenzie also failed to have a significant impact during the tour of Australia.”It’s disappointing for Neil, especially at this stage of his career,” Smith said. “It’s going to be difficult for him to come back at this stage of his career to stake a claim for this position again.”Morne is different, he’s still very young. He’s got a lot of learning to do about himself. The more he bowls and plays the more he’ll understand his strengths and weaknesses and what he needs to do out in the middle. Morne has a great future ahead of him, he just needs to develop.”The inclusion of Prince was not a surprise after he missed all three Tests in Australia due to a broken thumb and then failed to win back his place due to the strong form of JP Duminy. However, South Africa did not want to mess with their proven middle order so Prince will be thrust into the unfamiliar opening position.The convenor of selectors, Mike Procter, conceded it was a risky move to play two new openers against an Australian bowling attack that had thrived in the first two Tests. “I accept that maybe it is a bit of a gamble having two new guys up front,” Procter said, “but we didn’t want to disrupt three, four, five and six who have been fantastic.”Ashwell coming back, he’s obviously captain. We just believe he’s got the technique of an opening batsman. He hasn’t opened before but he’s obviously faced the new ball in the position he used to bat for South Africa when they had all the successes that they’ve had over the past 18 months.”We don’t feel that there’s a huge change there. He was taken a little bit by surprise that he would be opening but he accepted it and he’s looking forward to the challenge.”Khan, 24, is coming off a recent century against the Australians in the tour match in Potchefstroom, which swayed the selectors in his favour. With Smith to return after the Cape Town Test, Procter’s panel will need to decide which of Prince or Khan will hold his place for the team’s next series.”A lot depends on what happens in Cape Town,” Procter said. “A lot depends on how the guys perform at Supersport level prior to England coming here next year. I suppose you can say it’s a bit of a stop-gap situation. Three, four, five and six in the line-up are pretty well cemented. They’ve had an unbelievable run. They’re all world-class players, as Ashwell is, so we’ll just take it step by step.”South Africa also named a 15-man squad for the two Twenty20 matches against Australia that follow the Tests. The uncapped Yusuf Abdulla and Roelof van der Merwe have been included while Makhaya Ntini and Jacques Kallis will be rested.South Africa Test squad Ashwell Prince (capt), Imraan Khan, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (wk), Paul Harris, Albie Morkel, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell.South Africa Twenty20 squad Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Justin Ontong, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Mark Boucher (wk), Johann Louw, Roelof van der Merwe, Albie Morkel, Johan Botha (capt), Dale Steyn, Robin Peterson, Wayne Parnell, Yusuf Abdulla.