South Africa team manager Arthob Petersen has insisted there was no external pressure to pick Breyton Paulse for Saturday’s Twickenham Test against world champions England after coach Jake White admitted he was thinking of dropping the experienced wing.

South African rugby coach Jake White believes Schalk Burger is being unfairly singled out by referees, saying it was almost as if someone was trying to ”put the nail” into the flanker. South Africa’s player of the year was yellow-carded for the second time in as many Tests during last weekend’s 17-12 defeat by Ireland that ended the Springboks’ hopes of a grand slam on their British Isles tour.

South Africa emerged as the bad boy of international cricket following figures released by the sport’s world governing body in London on Monday. In the nearly two years since the International Cricket Council introduced a new code of conduct for international players, South African players had six charges laid against them, ending in five guilty verdicts.

The chairperson of cricket’s world governing body has said he expects England to call off their tour of Zimbabwe. The British government has strongly advised the England and Wales Cricket Board to call off the tour in protest at the policies of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.

New Zealand coach John Mitchell said in Melbourne on Tuesday that only an improved performance by his tournament favourites would see them defeat reigning champions Australia in this weekend’s World Cup semifinal. ”We … will never underestimate an Australian side,” he said.

Gary Kirsten’s unbeaten 109 guided South Africa to 260 for seven at stumps on the first day of the fourth Test at Headingley on Thursday.

South Africa’s top four batsmen showed their class with a half-century apiece against India A in Arundel on Sunday in what was the Proteas’ last match before next week’s first Test against England.

Cricket is often said to be a batsman’s game but the bowlers at the World Cup have been doing their best to even things up despite the odds against them.

India’s 82-run World Cup Group A victory against England here under the Kingsmead floodlights on Wednesday prompted many to ask: ‘Are day-night matches decided by the spin of a coin?’