Steyn not ready to forgive Clarke

Asked whether the spiteful exchange he had with Australia captain Michael Clarke during the final Test of this year's series in South Africa had been forgotten and forgiven, Dale Steyn took a deep breath followed by a considered silence.

After a few moments searching for the appropriate words and seemingly pondering whether it was an issue he wanted to revisit in the wake of his team's emphatic tri-series final win in Harare, Steyn let fly with one of his more memorable deliveries of a personally triumphant day.

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It's six months since that day in Cape Town when, with the Australians becoming increasingly desperate for the wickets that would clinch them a series win and South Africa's tailenders bravely hanging on for a draw that tempers bubbled over.

Australia fast bowler James Pattinson triggered the clash, Steyn responded with a barb at the young quick and that's when Clarke stepped in to defend his player.

Much as he had done in Brisbane earlier in the summer, when England's James Anderson had targeted George Bailey fielding nearby and Clarke’s ensuing "broken f***ing arm" taunt was picked up by the stump microphone.

But whatever he said to Steyn in that exchange, and for which Clarke later apologised in the media conceding he had overstepped the mark, remains a raw wound with the South African spearhead.

"I haven't really spoken to him much since then to be honest," Steyn said, his fast bowler’s eyes narrowed.

"I don't take many things personally, but what he did say to me I did take personally.

"I know he apologised in the media and I should be playing this down.

"But the day he comes and shakes my hand and says ‘I really mean what I said’ and behaves like the way he should, maybe then I will (forgive him).

"But for right now, he’s not here so I'll wait until I get to Australia."

Indeed, Clarke was watching Steyn's destructive bowling spell from his couch in Sydney where he is nursing the torn hamstring that ended his Harare campaign prematurely.

He was even moved to tweet some observations about the reverse swing that Steyn was imparting with a relatively new white ball.

But prior to leaving for home, Clarke spoke about the level of feeling between the two fierce rivals who will meet again in a series of T20 and ODI fixtures in Australia come November.

It followed South African skipper AB de Villiers' assertion that while some on-field trash talking was to be expected, if insults became personal then the source of them couldn't expect to maintain a friendship off the field.

"That's fine from our point of view, I didn't think anything got personal through that series (in South Africa)," Clarke said when interviewed in Harare.

"I thought it was really tough competitive cricket on the field, but if AB has a problem with a player or players I'm sure he won't talk to them or go and sort it out that's completely up to those guys.

"If they feel like that about certain Australian players that's up to them to sort out.

"I think we play so much cricket together these days especially with the IPL I think the relationship in my opinion is very good.

"We see each other consistently through the hotel and from my perspective, unless they're talking about a player that's not in our current group or players who aren't in their current group, from my perspective everyone has been really good.

"If not one player in their team wants to talk to anybody in our team, I don't think it's going to bother anyone.

"But I think in cricket it's a lot bigger than two teams going their separate ways.

"I think the only issue that I've seen in that South African series was what I said to Dale Steyn during that (Cape Town) game and I went and saw him straight after the game.

"He's a fierce competitor, statistics don't lie, he’s one of the best bowlers I've faced in my career and we always have a battle on the field, but I have the utmost respect for him and I think he’s a really good fella.

"I enjoy having a beer with him so again maybe I've missed something.

"Maybe there's stuff I don't know about, I'm not really sure.

"But if he (de Villiers) is talking about my incident with Steyn then from my perspective I would hope that Dale and I have a good enough relationship.

"I'm pretty sure he would front me if he still had an issue with me and I think my apology at the time was well taken and respected from Dale, so he could be talking about other players but I don't really know."

It would seem that message has become scrambled somewhere.

November's series to herald the start of the Australian summer might provide the perfect platform on which to sort it out.

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