Dale Steyn says he has not forgiven Michael Clarke over sledge

Seething South African firebrand Dale Steyn has revealed he may never forgive Michael Clarke for a personal sledge made by the Australian skipper during the Cape Town Test earlier this year.

Lifting the lid on the lingering bad blood between the pair, Steyn intimated he has never been more deeply offended by a comment on the cricket field than by what Clarke said to him in the final session of a bitter series won by Australia back in March.

Clarke claims he spoke to Steyn immediately after the match and also said sorry for overstepping the mark at a post-match press conference.

But Steyn clearly has not accepted Clarke's remorse as genuine.

South Africa and Australia stayed at the same hotel in Harare during the one-day tri-series, but the pair never spoke one word to each other before Clarke returned home through injury, missing Saturday's final won convincingly by South Africa.

Steyn did not mince words about his attitude towards Clarke since the explosive incident and what it would take to bury the hatchet.

    The day [Clarke] 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].
    Dale Steyn

"I don't take many things personally, but what he did say to me I did take personally," said Steyn after claiming man-of-the-match honours with 4 for 35.

"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."

Steyn's comments sets up another heated battle when South Africa tours Australia for more limited overs matches in November.

Especially given Clarke feels he has already adequately apologised for the incident which occurred while Steyn was batting desperately to try save the Test.
Steyn dismisses Clarke lbw for 38 Photo: No love lost ... simmering tensions still exist between Dale Steyn and Michael Clarke. (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)

The Australian skipper intervened while Steyn was having words with James Pattinson, prompting the Proteas star to blow up in response - although the exact nature of Clarke's sledge is unknown.

Clarke claimed before leaving Harare that he believed he had set the record straight with Steyn.

"I would hope Dale and I have a good enough relationship. I'm pretty sure he would front me if he still had an issue with me," he said nine days ago.

"I think my apology at the time was well taken and respected by Dale."

Clarke said he did not believe the two teams had fallen out, but also conceded Australia would not be losing any sleep if South Africa were holding grudges.

"If no player in their team wants to talk to anybody in our team I don't think it's going to bother anyone," he said.

"But I would like to think there's always that play hard on the field but off the field have a beer (attitude)."

The teams did share a drink after Saturday's ODI final, and Australian coach Darren Lehmann says he was not aware of an ongoing issue.

But chief antagonists from the Test series Clarke and David Warner were not present and from the Proteas' perspective, relations are at an all-time low between the teams off the field.

Only one South African player, Alviro Petersen, ventured into the Australian sheds for a customary post-match beer after the Test series.

AAP