'This is an experienced side and we know what is expected of our team.' 'When it comes to preparation, all of us are ready.'
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly said the pitch for the third Test between India and South Africa was unfair on the batsmen and called for ICC's intervention into the matter.
A change from spin-friendly wickets in India to ones favouring seamers means South Africa's pace attack are keenly looking forward to the Test series against England, which starts on Saturday.
South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel and all-rounder JP Duminy will undergo late fitness tests ahead of Saturday's triangular series final against Australia in Harare.
Women cricketers Sara McGlashan and Sarah Taylor were also handed the honour.
'As Test team, we stand in a good position. Whole credit goes to Virat'
Morkel removed Zimbabwe's most experienced batsman Hamilton Masakadza with the first ball of their innings and Chamu Chibhabha and Brendan Taylor were also dismissed as the visitors made a tentative start under lights.
South Africa expect to have all-rounder JP Duminy and fast bowler Morne Morkel back for the second Test against India but will assess the fitness of leading paceman Dale Steyn on Thursday.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on Sunday
Check out the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League.
South Africa need seven wickets on the last day to secure victory in the first Test and go ahead in the two-match series as Bangladesh struggled on a rain-curtailed fourth day at Senwes Park on Sunday.
South Africa were dealt a severe blow on Friday as Morne Morkel, their premier fast bowler, was ruled out of the ongoing first Test against India after suffering a Grade I ligament tear on his ankle on Day 3.
South Africa pacer Morne Morkel feels that the post-tea sessions will hold the key with the Proteas bowlers looking to inflict maximum damage on the Indian batsmen late in the day.
AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn make their long-awaited return to the South Africa Test squad for the day-night four-day Test match against Zimbabwe to be played at St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth, from December 26 to 29.
Uncapped spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi were named in South Africa's squad for next month's three-match test series in Australia on Monday as the Proteas seek to exploit a perceived weaknesses in their hosts' batting. Faf du Plessis will again captain the team in the absence of injured AB de Villiers after leading the side in the two-test series against New Zealand last month, which they won 1-0. "Basically, we are following a horses for courses policy as we feel that spinners who turn the ball away from the right-hander are going to be particularly useful under Australian conditions and against the test batsmen we are likely to face," selector Linda Zondi said in a statement.
Gautam Gambhir is a politician by choice but a cricketer at heart whose brain never stops ticking when it comes to conceptualising, planning and execution.
Their morale on the upswing after back-to-back victories, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will aim to continue the winning run when they take on the inconsistent Sunrisers Hyderabad in their fifth IPL cricket match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
Kolkata Knight Riders might have come up trumps in a high-scoring IPL opener against Mumbai Indians, but skipper Gautam Gambhir was all praise for his bowling unit that was ably led by South African speedster Morne Morkel.
The paceman had injury problems in the recent ICC Champions Trophy in England, forcing him to miss the semi-final defeat by the hosts, and that has weighed heavily on the minds of the selectors with Test series coming up against Pakistan, India and Australia.
Smith could emerge as the figure the embattled team looks up to for a revival in its fortunes.
South Africa fought back in the afternoon session on the third day of the fourth Test on Sunday, reducing England to 138 for six in their second innings and restricting the hosts to a lead of 274.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and India at the Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg on Friday
Images from Day 3 of the fourth and final Test in Delhi, on Saturday.
Morne Morkel makes a return to the limited-overs format after nearly 10 months, adding experience to the pace bowling group featuring Kagiso Rabada, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo.
Opener Quinton de Kock smashed 84 as a weakened South Africa crushed Zimbabwe by seven wickets to complete a whitewash in their three-match ODI series at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Thursday.
Albie Morkel has decided to retire from all forms of cricket, ending a two-decade career that earned him a reputation as a clean striker of the ball and a bowler full of guile.
South African fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel ripped through the Sri Lanka batting lineup to seal a 153-run win in the first Test on Sunday as Hashim Amla started his captaincy in fine style.
Images from Wednesday's first IPL play-off between Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab at the Eden Gardens.
India's batting sensation Cheteshwar Pujara says the upcoming Test series in New Zealand should be a little easier than the recent one against South Africa, where the team was beaten 1-0 in the two-match series.
South Africa pacer Morne Morkel was surprised at the nature of pitch on offer at the Kingsmead after India took early control of the series-deciding second cricket Test by finishing day one on a commanding 181 for one.
Former South African batsman HD Ackerman has said that the team's familiarity with the Indian bowlers due to their exposure to the Indian Premier League (IPL) may be an advantage for them in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 on Friday.
Team India faces an uphill task in the upcoming Test series against South Africa, beginning at the Wanderers on Wednesday, and no one is more pragmatic about it than MS Dhoni, the team captain.
When Ryan Harris hobbled into Newlands for the final day of the third Test against South Africa on Wednesday, it seemed unlikely he would end up being the man to clinch the series for Australia.
Australia won the third and final Test against South Africa by 245 runs at Newlands in a nailbiting finish with just 27 balls to spare after a day of epic home resistance.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn ripped through the India batting line-up on a rain-reduced day two of the second Test at Kingsmead to claim six wickets and hand the momentum to South Africa in the series decider on Friday.
Cheteshwar Pujara is the first Indian batsman to post three hundreds in Tests in 2013 and is of the opinion that his side has enough runs on the board to press for a win on the final day in the first cricket Test against South Africa in Johannesburg.
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Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada took three wickets as South Africa bowled India out for 187 to take the opening day honours on a seaming wicket in the third and final Test at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
South Africa seamer Dale Steyn grabbed his first Test wicket after an injury absence of 14 months as the hosts fought back against a fired-up India on an enthralling first day of cut-and-thrust cricket in the opening Test at Newlands in Cape Town on Friday.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between India and South Africa in Nagpur, on Wednesday.
