Ashwell Prince, South Africa's batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram as the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered the Proteas towards what could be a famous run-chase in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on Friday.
Sri Lanka used the seamer friendly conditions at Kingsmead to reduce South Africa to 80/4 before rain stopped play on the opening day of the first Test
'I've been a firm believer in that if you want Test cricket to survive and be alive and thriving, I think that's the way to go.'
Steve Smith became the 15th member of Test cricket's 10,000-run club as he and opener Usman Khawaja smashed hundreds to help Australia rack up 330/2 on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
Left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza was the pick of the home bowlers with figures of 4-98, while leg-spinner Vincent Masekesa took 2-117.
Conrad conceded that South Africa were a "batter light" but explained that if the players they have were willing to play with a little more self-confidence, it could work in Proteas' favour.
During the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, Johnson broke Bahadur Prasad's 23-year-old 1500m national record with a time of 3 minute 37.86 seconds though he finished fifth in the final.
A calf injury forced Josh Hazlewood to miss being part of Australia's World Test Championship win two years ago and the fast bowler is keen to avoid a second such heartbreak.
Overall, in 25 matches Maharaj has picked up 59 wickets, averaging 17.76 with a bowling strike rate of 35.5.
Sunil Gavaskar said if India captain Rohit Sharma misses the first Test against Australia, then Jasprit Bumrah should lead the side for the entire five-match series.
The series, to commence on June 20, will be played at Headingley in Leeds, Edgbaston in Birmingham, Lord's and The Oval in London, and Old Trafford in Manchester.
Hardik Pandya on Thursday posted a video of himself bowling with the red-ball during a training session in England.
'But we'll savour this for a couple of hours at least and then it'll be recovery for the next few days.'
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's grade A+ contract will continue despite their retirement: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia
Shubman Gill will have to lead from the front in absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but the young team should not be judged too early, said Harbhajan Singh.
Indian players mourn Ahmedabad airplane crash victims before intra-squad match
'If I had to make a call whether to head back to India and finish the tournament, it would be an easy decision. It's a no from me. Lives and safety are the most important thing, not pay cheques.'
Mohammed Siraj's commitment to a team-first approach sets him apart from the others and the pacer has demonstrated strong leadership qualities, said former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.
South Africa's two-test series success over Sri Lanka on Monday catapulted them to first place in the World Test Championship and put them firmly on course for next year's final in what would have been unthinkable less than a year ago.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne will be pushed up in the order to open alongside Usman Khawaja.
India stayed on course to make it to their third straight WTC final.
England are second-bottom in the World Test Championship standings, above Bangladesh.
Teenager Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored 153 on debut and Corbin Bosch an unbeaten maiden century as a much-changed South Africa reached 418 for nine on the opening day of the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Saturday.
Rabada spent a month on the sidelines at the Indian Premier League after testing positive for a recreational drug at this year's SA20 competition.
South Africa thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 273 runs to secure a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow on and dismissing the hosts for 143 on day three of the second Test
India's cricket team has embarked on a journey to Dubai for the upcoming Champions Trophy, aiming to secure another global trophy after their T20 World Cup triumph last June.
Only seven matches in the history of Test cricket have been abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Australia's mouthwatering clash with India sees the two behemoths of the modern game go head-to-head in five tests over six weeks with the tourists eyeing a third straight series triumph Down Under.
Aiden Markram himself knows what he is capable of -- and how to express it on a cricket field. And South Africa will be the biggest beneficiary in the coming years.
South African captain Temba Bavuma has said that the ICC Champions Trophy is a bigger challenge than the 50-over World Cup because the lesser number of matches makes it tough for teams to make a comeback.
ICC chairperson Jay Shah has been inducted into the newly formed World Cricket Connects Advisory Board, an independent group that will discuss the future of cricket at the Lord's on June 7 and 8.
India claimed the top spot in the World Test Championship standings
India must start planning for Rohit Sharma's successor if the team do not play well in their five-Test series in Australia as the captain could well retire from the longest format
Dinesh Karthik believes India head coach Gautam Gambhir is tactically 'very good', but feels man-management remains an area he would need to work on.
Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord's.
Perhaps, another Ranji title with Mumbai will be a fitting send off for Ajinkya Rahane.
England booked their place in next year's World Cup finals as captain Harry Kane scored twice in a 5-0 romp away to Latvia on Tuesday to ensure they will win qualifying Group K.
India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is up and running in Beckenham, putting in the hard yards before the upcoming five high-stakes Tests against England, slated to kick off on June 20 at Headingley.
And while this blockbuster encounter has everyone drooling, some Indian cricket fans have not forgotten the treatment meted out to the Indian cricket team by one who answers to the name Travis Head.
Sneha Kolleri, a member of the 4x400m women's relay squad, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after returning positive for stanozolol.
