Cricket:South Africa decided against making an official complaint to match referee Roshan Mahanama over their suspicions of ball-tampering by England in the third Test at Newlands. The hosts last night raised their concerns over "allegations about the ball".
Television footage of England seamers Stuart Broad and James Anderson's treatment of the ball alerted the home side to the possibility that they were trying to alter its condition to accelerate reverse-swing.
South Africa had until start of play this morning to make a complaint and therefore effectively force Mahanama to investigate the issue further on behalf of the International Cricket Council.
South Africa therefore appear to have pulled back from the brink of kick-starting a major controversy which, on such an emotive issue, had the potential to rock world cricket.
England responded last night by "refuting any suggestions of ball-tampering or malpractice".
They will nonetheless inevitably be under the microscope for the remainder of this Test at least, with the ICC still at liberty to scrutinise a raft of TV evidence South Africa have already highlighted.
It centres on Broad stopping a straight-drive with the sole of his boot - studs and all - yesterday morning, and Anderson apparently running his thumb and fingers over the ball on other occasions.
There is also obvious potential for a deterioration of relations between two teams locked in a heavyweight tussle over a four-match series.
England currently lead 1-0 but are in danger of losing that advantage over the next two days - with a potential deciding match still to play - after South Africa piled up 312 for two yesterday, for an overall lead of 330.
A statement is expected to be released by the ICC later today.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan expressed his disappointment after seeing the incident involving Anderson on television.
Vaughan said: "It certainly looks like Jimmy Anderson has had some kind of play on the ball."
He added: "You have to look at the world of cricket and if it was Pakistan what would we make of it?
"It's a very delicate situation."
England were back in the field this morning and certain to be keen to avoid any further controversy.
Vaughan said: "Stuart Broad stood on the ball, and then Jimmy Anderson collected the ball, whether it was the next over or the over after, and started playing around the area where Jimmy Anderson had created the scuff marks.
"They were just trying to get the ball to reverse swing. It looks quite bad on the TV screens, I'm quite disappointed because I don't like to see that sort of action in a game."
Vaughan believes Anderson's actions may arouse more interest with the ICC than Broad's behaviour.
"It's Jimmy Anderson just picking at the ball and shining it in a certain technique which is probably more worrying," Vaughan said.
"I don't like to see that in the game and I'll be very interested to see how the ICC respond to it."
Nasser Hussain, Vaughan's predecessor as captain, was not surprised to learn of South Africa's concerns after the footage emerged.
Hussain said: "We've all been there, we're not whiter than white, where you see the ball and think would it be nice to get nails into that, get it reverse-swinging.
"But you've just got to leave it alone because if the opposition see you going like that to the ball they get very fidgety.
"Some cricketers of old allegedly would get their nails into it, use implements to really scrape it off and it would go very quickly.
"It doesn't look like James Anderson is trying to do that.
"He's been in the middle and he's playing with the thing but that is right on the edge of acceptable, he probably hasn't altered (the ball) that much, but if he does it for 30 overs he is altering the ball."
Another former England skipper, Mike Atherton, suggested picking at the seam has "gone on since time immemorial" and urged South Africa to take their complaints to match officials if they have serious concerns.
Atherton said: "They're serious allegations. They must put up or shut up rather than put it out in the wider domain that they've got concerns over the ball."
-PA