Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) today announced that Makhaya Ntini, the National Team Bowling Coach, had tendered his resignation from ZC, with immediate effect.

Since his appointment in February 2016, Makhaya has brought a wealth of experience and practical knowledge to ZC, and ZC and its players and coaching staff were fortunate to have had an opportunity to work closely with him during this period, and to learn from his many years of playing for Cricket South Africa at the highest level.

AB de Villiers seized the moment on day one of the first Sunfoil Test match at PPC Newlands when he carved Bhuvneshwar Kumar for four boundaries in his fifth over at a stage when the seamer was threatening to run through the Standard Bank Proteas top-order.

On day two it was the turn of Hardik Pandya to do something similar when he launched a brilliant counter-attack starting with the three boundaries he took from an over from Vernon Philander whom most of his batting colleagues had found almost unplayable.

Dale Steyn has been ruled out of bowling in the ongoing Sunfoil Test match against India due to a heel injury sustained on the second day of play at PPC Newlands on Saturday. The fast bowler landed awkwardly in footmarks while bowling shortly before the tea break, with subsequent scans confirming tissue damage to the foot.

A decision on Steyn’s availability to bat will be made in consultation with the medical committee as the match progresses.

Just who had the better of day one of the Freedom Series at PPC Newlands on Friday will in all probability not be clarified until well into day two. The Proteas found themselves on 12/3 after winning the toss and deciding to bat first under hazardous conditions to three testing overs from Bhuvneshwar Kumar but critically still had AB de Villiers at the crease.

The Proteas returning warrior launched a calculated counter-attack that set the mood for the rest of the innings as he and his captain, Faf du Plessis, shared a stand of 114 that enabled the Proteas to score 107/3 in the first session and then 123/4 in the second.