Ponting was fearless - Viv Richards

Viv Richards has hailed Ricky Ponting's brashness and "show-no-fear" attitude as among his greatest traits, and Shane Warne has lauded Ponting's habit of making runs when Australia most needed them. Ponting farewelled Test cricket with Australia's loss to South Africa in Perth this week and on Thursday, Warne and Richards, in Melbourne in the lead-up to Friday night's Big Bash League opener, reflected on Ponting's 17-year Test career.

"Certainly he's up there with the very best," Richards said. "What I love about him more than anything else, you look at the way he walks out to the crease. He always has presence. There is a tenaciousness about him. He walks out and believes. He's not going to be intimidated by no one. I would like guys like that. I appreciate seeing guys who come out and have a particular presence."

The same words could have been used to describe Richards, one of Wisden's five cricketers of the century, a man who never wore a helmet and stared down fast bowlers all over the world while nonchalantly chewing his gum. Although the careers of the two men did not overlap - Richards retired from Test cricket four years before Ponting made his debut - Richards saw plenty of Ponting's batting and was impressed by the attitude he displayed from his very first match in 1995.

"A young batter who wants to make it, you cannot feel like you have one foot in and one foot out," Richards said. "You've got to make that crease your house. Ricky always made the crease his house. I've always been in his corner as a player because of that brashness, he's an in-your-face sort of guy. Show no fear. Batsmen sometimes can be intimidated by a guy from how far he runs up, but you just put that at the back of your mind and bat with what you have. Ricky, to me, certainly did that."

Richards is part of the BBL this year as a batting mentor for the Melbourne Stars, who are captained by Warne, a man who played 85 Tests alongside Ponting. Although Warne was not always enamoured with Ponting's captaincy decisions, he said Ponting's ability to score runs when Australia faced potential trouble was one of the reasons the team was so successful.

"It was fun to play with Ricky Ponting," Warne said. "I met him as a 16-year-old at the cricket academy in Adelaide. He was a guy who was pretty tough and an uncompromising sort of player. He will definitely go down with Greg Chappell and Allan Border and Bradman as the greatest batsmen Australia have had, and he'll hold up well on the international stage.

"He loved a scrap, he loved a fight, he was always good when the team really needed him he put his hand up. That's a really good characteristic in any player. It's not about how many runs you get, it's about when you get your runs and when you take your wickets. I think Ricky always got the majority of his runs when Australia really needed him. That was a standout characteristic of his. He was good fun to play with and tough as nails."

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Quick Indian-visa process likely for Pakistan fans

Pakistan's whistle stop two-week, five-match tour of India that starts on Christmas Day in Bangalore could be kicked off with the 3000 Pakistani ticket-holders for the series being issued Indian visas in less than ten days.

The Pakistan tour of India, featuring two T20 Internationals in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, and three ODIs in Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi, has been pushed through via the highest levels of the government and cricket administration on both sides of the border. The PCB will be issued the 3000 tickets to be distributed, by the board, in Pakistan: 1000 for the match in Delhi and 500 for each of the other four cities. Pakistan citizens holding tickets to all five matches will be issued five-city visas, an unusual diplomatic practice in itself. An announcement on a quicker visa-issuing process for the cricket is expected in a few days' time.

A four-man PCB recce team concluded its visit of India on Thursday, after travelling to each of the venues where the matches will be held. Nadeem Sarwar, the PCB's general manager, media, said that the issue of security will be left in the hands of the hosts. "What we expect is fool-proof security for our players, and we expect that the capability that these cities have will provide that."

The PCB recce team's chief concerns were more related to practice facilities and net bowlers, and ensuring that team hotels clear out mini-bars. There was, Sarwar said, no strict 'ban' on players socialising or attending private parties. "We would discourage individuals from socialising because it's going to be a very busy tour - five matches in 14 days. It's not like there's a ban or a restrictive list [of activities] on the tour, because there is very little time for socialising."

He said the future of Indo-Pak cricketing relations depended on India: "The ball will now be in their court." As for international cricket in Pakistan, Sarwar said that the PCB was confident that teams would start visiting Pakistan "very soon". "It is, at the moment, just a question of perception. We are in negotiations with several boards. Teams will start coming to Pakistan, hopefully soon."

On this tour, the Pakistan team, Sarwar said, wanted to redress their recent poor record against India: India had won the previous four games between the teams - two Asia Cup ODIs, the 2011 World Cup semi-final and a World T20 group match in September.

In Kolkata the PCB team met with Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former BCCI president, who recognised PCB chief Zaka Ashraf's role in pushing the series through. The May and June meetings between Ashraf and BCCI president N Srinivasan led to the announcement of a schedule for the series, which is sandwiched between England's Test and ODI tour of India. In September, Ashraf met with the-then Indian foreign minister, SM Krishna, in Islamabad and two months later, the Indian high commissioner to Pakistan travelled to Lahore for discussions on visa issues with PCB officials.

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McCullum takes over as New Zealand captain

Brendon McCullum has been appointed New Zealand's captain in all three formats after Ross Taylor declined an offer to stay on as leader of the Test side in a split-captaincy scenario. Taylor has also chosen to make himself unavailable for the upcoming tour of South Africa, although New Zealand are hopeful he will be back in the side for the home series against England early next year.

The confirmation of the change came at a press conference in Auckland on Friday morning where David White, the New Zealand Cricket CEO, said he regretted the way the captaincy debate had played out in the public spotlight. McCullum, who has previously led New Zealand in eight ODIs and 12 Twenty20s, will become the country's 28th Test captain when the series against South Africa begins on January 2 in Cape Town.

There had been much speculation this week about the future of Taylor since the squad returned from Sri Lanka despite their impressive series-leveling victory in Colombo. In that match Taylor, who took over as captain in 2011 after being preferred to McCullum for the role, scored 142 in the first innings, but it was one of few highlights in a poor year for New Zealand.

They lost Test series against South Africa, West Indies and India before the draw in Sri Lanka while they have slipped to ninth in the one-day rankings below Bangladesh. They were also knocked out in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20. It was after the review of that tournament, as well as the tours of India and Sri Lanka, that the coach Mike Hesson recommended splitting the captaincy.

"Mike Hesson proposed a split captaincy that was endorsed by me as CEO and agreed by the board," White said. "The original recommendation was for Ross Taylor to be retained as Test captain and Brendon McCullum to be short-form captain. We regret that Ross Taylor has declined the opportunity, therefore Brendon McCullum has been appointed as Black Caps captain for all three forms of the game.

"I met with Ross ... for about three hours yesterday and we considered a number of different options. One of them was ... for him to go to South Africa and even just play the Test matches if he wanted to do that. But he thought about it long and hard and he said that he would like a break and to spend time with his family and we've agreed with that and we respect that. It's not ideal and we would be a stronger team with Ross Taylor in it."

Despite the change in captaincy, White said he did not believe Taylor had lost the support of his players. "I don't believe he lost the dressing room," White said. "He is well respected."

Hesson, who took over from John Wright as New Zealand's coach in July, was due to front a press conference in Christchurch later on Friday.

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New Zealand drop Kruger van Wyk

New Zealand's change of captaincy has overshadowed a number of changes in their Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, with the wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk, the legspinner Todd Astle and the batsman Rob Nicol all left out after being part of the group that toured Sri Lanka. A 15-man squad has been named, with the other change the absence of Ross Taylor, who has decided to take a break from cricket following the captaincy drama.

BJ Watling will take the gloves for the two Tests in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, while the batsmen Dean Brownlie and Peter Fulton have earned recalls. Brownlie, 28, was impressive during his first two series against Zimbabwe and Australia last year but was dropped following the tour of the West Indies in August, while Fulton, 33, has not played for New Zealand in any format for three years.

There was also a call-up for the uncapped left-arm spinner Bruce Martin, 32, who is the leading wicket taker among spinners in the Plunket Shield this summer with 15 at 31.80. Martin, who plays for Auckland, was second only to Neil Wagner among all wicket takers last season with 37 at an average of 37, and the selectors believe his style of bowling will be of more value in South Africa than the legspin of Astle.

"We don't require a leg-spin option in South African conditions so have left out Todd Astle but he is very much part of our thinking for the future," coach Mike Hesson said in a statement. "Bruce Martin is a specialist spinner who can bowl a lot of overs and he deserves an opportunity after showing good recent form. Following on from BJ Watling's good form in Sri Lanka and again while back in New Zealand, he has been selected as the Test wicketkeeper."

Fulton is also back in the Twenty20 squad, having not played a T20 international for nearly four years, while there were call-ups for a number of uncapped players. The left-arm fast bowler Corey Anderson, allrounder Jimmy Neesham, wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder, batsman Colin Munro and fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan were all included and could make their debuts.

Tim Southee and Jacob Oram were not considered for the T20 squad due to the upcoming births of their children, and Andrew Ellis was ruled out with a side strain. The tour begins with a Twenty20 in Durban on December 21, followed by T20s in East London and Port Elizabeth, before the Tests take place in the first half of January. Three ODIs will follow the Tests, but the one-day squad is yet to be named.

Test squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Peter Fulton, Daniel Flynn, Dean Brownlie, BJ Watling (wk), James Franklin, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Jeetan Patel, Bruce Martin, Chris Martin.

Twenty20 squad Brendon McCullum (capt), Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Peter Fulton, Colin Munro, Nathan McCullum, Corey Anderson, James Franklin, Jimmy Neesham, Derek de Boorder, Mitchell McClenaghan, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Ronnie Hira, Adam Milne.

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Younis blitz leads Abbottabad to tight win

Abbottabad Falcons 139 for 5 (Younis 48*, Hammad 35) beat Karachi Zebras 135 (Ghani 46, Ahsan 30, Usman 3-23) by five wickets
Scorecard

An attacking knock of 48 off 28 deliveries from captain Younis Khan took Abbottabad Falcons to a last-ball five-wicket win against Karachi Zebras at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Chasing 136, they had lost four wickets for 71 runs in the 13th over, needing 68 off 43 balls, before Younis dominated his stands with Baber Khan, and later Khalid Usman, and kept them in the hunt. Karachi seamer Tabish Khan bowled economically, giving away 18 runs in his four overs.

After being put in to bat, Karachi kept losing wickets regularly. By the seventh over, four of their top-order batsmen had been dismissed. However, a fighting 73-run stand in quick time between Daniyal Ahsan and Sheharyar Ghani helped them build a solid platform for acceleration towards the end. But that didn't happen, as they lost their last six wickets for 19 runs, due to wickets by Amjad Waqas, Junaid Khan and spinner Khalid Usman, who took three wickets in the innings, and two run outs.

Abbottabad were in control of the chase at 67 for 2, with opener Hammad Ali having scored 35. Two quick wickets and slow scoring pegged them back, before Younis played his match-winning hand.

Multan Tigers 155 for 6 (Maqsood 38, Yasin 34*, Sadaf 32, Malik 3-17) beat Sialkot Stallions 113 for 7 (Nayyar 43*, Zulfiqar 4-15) by 42 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A solid combined batting effort and a four-wicket haul by left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar ensured Multan Tigers' convincing 42-run victory against Sialkot Stallions. Sialkot's chances of chasing down 156 were blown away early when Zulfiqar, and seamers Mohammad Irfan and Kashif Naved left them struggling at 29 for 5 in the eighth over. Although captain Shoaib Malik and No. 7 Nayyar Abbas stuck together till the 12th over to repair the damage, and Nayyar tried to steer the innings towards some respectability in the company of the lower-order batsmen, the target proved too far off.

Multan's innings revolved around two productive partnerships, and three knocks worth over 30 runs each by opener Sohaib Maqsood, wicketkeeper Gulraiz Sadaf and Naved Yasin, who remained unbeaten. They also suffered a setback early in their innings, when opener Zain Abbas was dismissed for four in the third over. But a 44-run stand between Maqsood and Sadaf, and a 54-run stand in 5.1 overs between Yasin and Kashif Naved took them to 155 for 7 after 20 overs.

Faisalabad Wolves 137 for 3 (Misbah 43*, Khalid 36*) beat Peshawar Panthers 135 for 4 (Israrullah 56) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

After a slow start, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Khalid helped Faisalabad Wolves chase 136 in 18.2 overs and defeat Peshawar Panthers by seven wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium. The duo, having been together at the crease since the 11th over, did not hit a single boundary till the 13th over, when the required run rate had gone beyond eight per over. An expensive 14th over, in which four boundaries were hit, and the 16th over, of which 11 runs were taken, made the chase easier. Needing 18 runs off 18 deliveries, two fours, a six, and five singles took them home with ten balls to spare.

Peshawar, it seemed, paid the price for the want of better acceleration in their innings. Their innings run rate could have been higher than the eventual 6.75 per over, as they had lost only four wickets after 20 overs. Opener Israrullah scored a half-century, Shoaib Khan snr scored an unbeaten 24 off 30 deliveries. At 107 for 4 at the end of the 18th over, middle-order batsman Zohaib Khan smashed three sixes and eight fours to take his team to 135 for 4.

Bahawalpur Stags 140 for 2 (Imranullah 60, Kashif 39*) beat Lahore Eagles 136 for 7 (Taufeeq 53, Talha 2-19) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Imranullah Aslam was the star of the chase as Bahawalpur Eagles overhauled Lahore Eagles' total with eight wickets in hand and continued their unbeaten run in the tournament. Imranullah shared a quick half-century stand for the first wicket with Hamid Ali and then added 38 runs for the second wicket with Kashif Siddiq. By the time he was out, for 60 off 46 balls, the Stags needed 33 off 43 balls. Kashif ensured that there was no further damage as the chase was completed with 17 balls to spare.

Eagles, after choosing to bat, were in early trouble as they lost three wickets with 30 runs on the board in the sixth over. But skipper Taufeeq Umar scored a half-century and shared a 74-run stand with Raza Ali Dar to revive the innings. The lower order, however, crumbled again and Eagles were limited to 136.

Lahore Lions 130 for 9 (Jamshed 26, Mohibullah 3-15, Jalat 3-23) beat Quetta Bears 86 for 7 (Altaf 2-1) by 44 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A collective bowling performance by Lahore Lions helped them defeat Quetta Bears by 44 runs. Although Quetta's left-arm spinners Jalat Khan and Mohibullah took three wickets each to restrict Lahore to 130 for 9, their batsmen let them down.

Lahore's innings was built on productive knocks by the top five batsmen, all scoring between 19 and 26 runs, which helped them to 109 for 4. But they too collapsed, as the last five batsmen scored 16 run between them. Opener Nasir Jamshed was the highest scorer in the match with 26.

Quetta went about their chase slowly, but two quick wickets in the 10th and 11th overs pegged them back. Three more batsmen were dismissed quickly, but after having lost seven wickets for 69 in the 15th over, they scored a further 17 runs off the remaining deliveries. Their run rate at the end of the game was 4.30 runs per over.

Rawalpindi Rams 177 for 6 (Shoaib 50*, Tanvir 43) beat Hyderabad Hawks 158 for 6 (Aqeel 75*, Zia 2-24) by 19 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An unbeaten half-century by Shoaib Ahmed was the highlight of Rawalpindi Rams 19-run win against Hyderabad Hawks at the Gaddafi Stadium. Shoaib shared a 75-run stand with captain Sohail Tanvir that lifted the team from a tricky 63 for 4. After Tanvir's dismissal, Shoaib carried on the acceleration as 61 came off the last five overs.

In their chase, Aqeel Anjum and Rizwan Ahmed put up 56 runs for the third wicket, but the lack of boundaries in the partnership pushed the required scoring rate up. Once Rizwan fell, the incoming batsmen were not able to keep up with the rate and lost their wickets. Aqeel, who scored an unbeaten 75 off 48 balls, remained unbeaten as the team fell short by 19 runs.

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Harbhajan, Rahane released for Ranji Trophy

Offspinner Harbhajan Singh and batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who have been part of India's squad for all three Tests against England, will join their respective Ranji Trophy teams for the next group game that begins on Saturday. The third Test of the four-match India-England series is currently underway in Kolkata, but neither player is part of the Indian XI.

This decision is in line with the policy adopted by the India team management over the past four seasons, by which as many players as possible are released from the national squad for Ranji games during home series'. This is done with a view to help the reserves remain match-fit.

Harbhajan and Rahane will fly from Kolkata to Mumbai on Thursday, to join Punjab and Mumbai - these teams will play each other at the Wankhede Stadium in the next round of Ranji games. The pair, along with most of the other India regulars, featured in the season-opening round of the Ranji Trophy matches from November 2. While Harbhajan could make little impact with the ball as the Punjab captain against Hyderabad, Rahane scored 129 and 84 for Mumbai against Railways.

The players' availability will be a major boost for both teams, in particular Mumbai; Punjab, with young batsman Mandeep Singh at the helm, have already assured themselves of a place in the knockouts with four victories in five matches, but Mumbai are yet to win this season.

Harbhajan, having recovered from a viral infection, featured in India's humiliating ten-wicket defeat against England at the Wankhede Stadium. Rahane is yet to play in the Test series. The final game of the four-Test series will begin in Nagpur on December 13.

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Lions top table after aborted game

Knights v Lions match abandoned
Scorecard

Rain forced the contest between Lions and Knights in Kimberley to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. Both teams received two points each, and with it, Lions finished the group stages of the tournament at the top of the table and secured their place in the final.

Knights' chances of grabbing a play-off spot were eliminated, as they finished fourth on the table. The teams that finished second and third in the group stages - Cape Cobras and Titans - will face-off for the remaining place in the final.

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Gambhir admits run out error

Virender Sehwag's run-out says a lot about the tentativeness and lack of confidence currently afflicting India. They had got off to a solid start, were 47 for 0 after 10 overs, when their most positive batsman had just played a lovely whip off the pads, the deep square-leg fielder had to run a long way to his left and dive to keep the ball from reaching the midwicket boundary, and yet Sehwag's partner didn't want to take a third run. Mistakes happen in cricket, but Gautam Gambhir's explanation for what happened said a lot about the team's mindset.

"I thought that was not the situation to take the third run, a risky run," Gambhir said. "I was watching the ball, and I was thinking it was in his hand, I thought rather than taking the arm on… The ball was in his hand, taking the run on the throw was dicey. After watching the replay I realised the third run was on, but we were thinking that the kind of situation we were in, it was not important that we go for a [un]necessary risky run."

The fact, though, is, as Gambhir acknowledged, this was a regulation three, and so circumspect were India that they thought it was a risk taking it. Well, at least one of them did. As it often happens with India, Sehwag's wicket brought a turnaround. The run-rate dropped, England bowled to a plan, and India weren't patient enough.

"Obviously when that kind of a dismissal happens, it starts playing on your mind," Gambhir said. "You have done all the hard work, you have won the toss, there was something for the bowlers early on, the ball was swinging, you have got 47 on the board, you have done all the hard work, and suddenly losing your partner through a run-put plays on your mind."

One of the casualties of the slide was Gambhir himself, who made a second good start but couldn't convert it into a definitive innings. He will be gutted with this. He is now three possible innings from having gone three years without a Test century. Whatever he might say about centuries not mattering to him as much as contributing to the team, this has got to play on his mind.

Gambhir is an intense cricketer, and he will know that more than the missing centuries, it's the sub-30 average over the period of three years that is hurting his reputation. He can't afford to waste starts. "It was disappointing," he said. "Not only from my personal point of view, but from the team's point of view as well. As an opening batsman, if you get a start, you want to score big runs.

"You don't want to put hundreds on your record, you want to put the team in a position from where they can dominate. If you ask me personally, I am more disappointed from the team's point of view rather than my personal point of view. Someone had to bat long and put a big score, and I got set and I got a start and I should have continued playing a big innings, but these things happen, this is what cricket is all about."

Gambhir also said Test cricket was all about comebacks, and it was reverse swing that India were banking on. "I think it's an even day, even contest," he said. "You can't say it has gone in England's favour. The wicket has something for everyone. Especially for the fast bowlers, if you see once it starts reversing it becomes difficult. It reverses big. If we can put 350 on the board, it's going to be a big contest."

That brings into picture another struggling Indian player, who has perhaps been most crucial to India's success since Anil Kumble's retirement. If the ball has reversed alarmingly for England, Zaheer Khan won't get a better opportunity to strike form.

"They [England] showed it was reversing big, and we all know Zaheer Khan is a master of reverse swing so if he gets going it is going to be very difficult for England," Gambhir said. "Hopefully Zaheer Khan and Ishant can do the job for us. This is the wicket where there will be something for everyone, for fast bowlers as well. It has carry, and at times up and down, and it was reversing big. It has enough for the fast bowlers."

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Outright wins for J&K, Tripura

Jammu &Kashmir 323 (Rassol 67, Haroon 52, Arup Das 6-87) and 318 for 5 dec (Ian Dev 118, Rassol 120*) beat Assam 165 (Jadhav 69, Rassol 7-41) and 241 (Tarjinder 105, Dayal 3-50) by 235 runs
Scorecard

Tarjinder Singh's attempt at saving the game for Assam by scoring a fourth-innings century was in vain, as Jammu & Kashmir managed to take the seven wickets they needed on the final day to achieve an outright win.

Assam began the fourth day in Guwahati on 46 for 3, chasing an improbable 477. They lost wickets at regular intervals at one end, while Tarjinder battled for 105 at the other. They were dismissed for 241 in 89.1 overs. Ram Dayal took 3 for 50 for J&K while, Parvez Rassol and Waseem Raza took two each.

Tripura 441 (Roy 111, Ali 83, Dhawan 4-114) and 177 (Ali 68, Murasingh 63, Malik 5-36) beat Himachal Pradesh 260 (Dhawan 54, Murasingh 4-86, Dutta 4-65) 189 (Dogra 105*) by 169 runs
Scorecard

Fifteen wickets tumbled on the final day in Nadaun as Tripura bowled out Himachal Pradesh in 60 overs in the fourth innings to secure a 169-run victory.

Tripura resumed their second innings on the fourth morning on 116 for 5, and they slumped to 177 all out. Manisankar Murasingh scored most of the runs, converting his overnight 19 to 63. Vikramjeet Malik took 5 for 36 for Himachal.

A target of 359 was always out of Himachal's reach but they failed to draw the game as well. Paras Dogra scored an unbeaten 105 but got no support from his team-mates. Aatish Bhalaik, who made 30, was the only other batsman to score more than 15. Sanjay Majumder and Rana Dutta took three wickets each for Tripura.

Kerala 314 (Jagadeesh 199*, Yadav 4-95) and 193 for 3 dec (Hegde 107) drew with Services 335 (Chatterjee 107, Yashpal 89, Warrier 4-86) and 85 for 0
Scorecard

Only three wickets fell on the fourth day at the Palam A Ground in Delhi, where Kerala and Railways played out a tame draw. Railways had the better of the game by having secured the first-innings lead.

Kerala were 9 for 0 in their second innings at the start of the final day and they plodded to 193 for 3 before declaring, having scored at only 2.50 runs per over. Abhishek Hegde made 107 while Rohan Prem was unbeaten on 53.

Chasing a target of 173, Services batted only 15 overs in the fourth innings and reached 85 for 0 before the match was called off.

Andhra 393 (Shivkumar 106*, Mumuzdar 88*, Bandekar 5-107, Gadekar 4-97) and 193 for 6 dec (Pradeep 65) drew with Goa 328 (Shukla 121, Shivkumar 6-45) and 14 for 0
Scorecard

Andhra took the last Goa wicket that stood between them and a first-innings lead comfortably on the final morning, after which the match in Visakhapatnam meandered to a draw.

In response to Andhra's first-innings 393, Goa were 285 for 9 at the start of the final day. They got to 328 before Ravikant Shukla, who had reached a century, was bowled by Shaik Basha.

Andhra scored 193 for 6 in their second innings before declaring to set Goa a target of 259. AG Pradeep was the top-scorer with 65. Goa's openers survived the small passage of play before the match was drawn. They played out 26 overs and scored 14 runs.

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Vettori out of South Africa Tests

Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of New Zealand's Test matches in South Africa which begin early next year. He has not recovered from hernia and Achilles injuries, the latter picked up during the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

Vettori, 33, has missed New Zealand's last five Tests against Sri Lanka, India and West Indies having initially suffered a groin injury in the Caribbean. He had hoped to prove his recovery from the latest setbacks in the Plunket Shield for Northern Districts but has not been able to make an appearance.

With Vettori unavailable Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, will remain the No. 1 slow bowler while Todd Astle, who made his debut in Colombo last week when New Zealand levelled the series, could be included as a second option.

New Zealand play two Tests in South Africa, the first in Cape Town starting on January 2 followed by one in Port Elizabeth from January 11.

There are reports emerging that New Zealand may not be led by Ross Taylor for the tour - which also includes Twenty20s and ODIs - after his relationship with coach Mike Hesson reached breaking point despite the impressive series-leveling victory in Colombo.

Other than the win in Colombo it has been a difficult year for New Zealand with Test series defeats at home to South Africa then away in West Indies and India while they were knocked out in the Super Eights of the World Twenty20. They have also lost 10 of their last 13 ODIs and in the latest ICC rankings have slipped to ninth behind Bangladesh.

Brendon McCullum, who has captained eight ODIs and 12 Twenty20s, is tipped to take the role.

Taylor was named captain in June last year following Vettori's reign having previously done the job as a stand-in. The captaincy had a positive impact on Taylor's Test average with it rising to 49.85 from 13 Tests compared to his overall figure of 43.57 and he struck three hundreds in those matches, including a crucial 142 in Colombo recently.

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