South Africa's team psychologist is helping concentrate the players' minds on the first Test against Australia
Both Smith and Warner were also banned from playing the Indian Premier League this year.
Harbhajan Singh claimed two early wickets as South Africa reached 121 for five in their second innings at lunch on the fourth day of the series-deciding third Test against India in Cape Town.
India's Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar might have restored the balance in the match with their spirited batting but injured South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis feels the momentum is still in the home team's favour in the ongoing third and final Test in Cape Town.
Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar led India's strong reply with the bat after Jacques Kallis's 39th Test century had lifted South Africa to 362 on day two of the third and final Test at Newlands in Cape Town, on Monday.
Smith is banned from leadership roles until March because of his involvement in a Cape Town ball-tampering scandal last year but he is tipped by some former players and leading cricket writers to regain the captaincy from wicketkeeper Paine after his batting heroics in England.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town.
Rajneesh Gupta glances at the history of this fascinating 21st century cricketing rivalry.
India head coach Rahul Dravid on Tuesday said the repeated failures of his batters in the third innings of a Test match and the inability of the bowlers to take 10 wickets in the fourth innings is a matter of concern.
Cricket Australia imposed a two-year captaincy ban on him for his involvement in the sandpaper gate, ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
'The confidence and the momentum of that definitely helps. It just makes you raise your own bar of performance, you want to be a better player. My challenge to myself was to be a good player and now it's to become a great player. So it's just about lifting the bar and making a mind shift'
The countries will pin their hopes of victory on their quicks with seamer friendly wickets on order for the Tests in Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Johannesburg, and the contests set to be dominated by fiery exchanges of fast bowling.
Moeen Ali took three wickets on Wednesday as England made quick work of securing victory in the first Test by bundling out South Africa for 174 before lunch and ensure a 241-run victory on the last day at Kingsmead.
Can India avoid the humiliation of a series whitewash, asks Harish Kotian.
Paul Collingwood, who has played a key role making sure England go into Thursday's fourth and final Test against South Africa 1-0 up in the series, said he loves annoying the opposition with long, defiant innings. The middle-order batsman hit 50 and 26 not out in the first Test at Centurion, 91 in the innings victory in Durban and 19 and 40 in Cape Town, the latter spanning 188 balls and leading the visitors to a battling draw.
Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist has dismissed any possibility Australia would suffer a hangover from their extraordinary one-day series loss to South Africa when the first Test starts on Thursday.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday
India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Wednesday doffed his hat on Jacques Kallis, who hit a century in each innings of the third Test in Cape Town, describing the South African batsman as the best modern cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar.
Images from Day 1 of the 3rd Test between India and South Africa in Cape Town on Sunday.
Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla hit half-centuries to put South Africa on top against India, on a rain-hit day one of the third and final Test match at Newlands in Cape Town, on Sunday.
England's Jonathan Trott overcame a painful blow to the knee to strike a brave century, as he and Matt Prior savaged Australia's attack to build a 346-run lead at stumps on the second day of the fourth Test on Monday.
South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis had a close shave this morning when he banged his car against the gate of a house in Wynberg, a suburb in the south of Cape Town.
'It's an exciting time to play,' says Alistair Cook.
India cricket coach Gary Kirsten's ailing mother Gayl Hall passed away in Cape Town on Friday after losing a battle against cancer. Gayl was 64 and undergoing treatment for lung cancer at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital.
Rabada was initially suspended for two matches by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after brushing against the shoulder of Smith after dismissing the batsman in the six-wicket second Test victory for South Africa in Port Elizabeth.
David Warner joined former captain Steve Smith and batsman Cameron Bancroft in deciding not to contest the sanctions imposed on him by his cricket board for his role in last month's ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
The fate of India's upcoming tour of South Africa amid the trepidation triggered by new COVID-19 variant Omicron will be addressed when the Board of Control for Cricket in India holds its 90th Annual General Meeting in Kolkata on Saturday.
Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik provided only the second instance in this decade of both Indian openers scoring fifty in the same innings in a Test away from subcontinent, on Day 1 of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Dhoni donned the gloves for a short while during Monday's practice, and the focus was on Dinesh Kaarthick, who kept receiving throws from Greg Chappell and the slip cordon.
Former Test stars Mark Taylor of Austalia and Ian Bishop of the West Indies have been inducted in the revised ICC Cricket Committee.
The hockey team lost their opening match of the four-Test series 2-1 against the hosts at the Stellenbosch hockey stadium.
Hashim Amla struck an unbeaten half-century as South Africa brushed aside some early alarms to record a six wicket victory over Pakistan on day three of the first Test at Centurion Park on Friday.
Former Australia captain Mark Taylor resigned from Cricket Australia's (CA) board of directors on Monday, as the fallout from a scathing review into the governing body's culture claimed another victim.
