Opener and former captain Graeme Smith was released from the South African ODI squad, which is currently playing a three-match series against India, to "focus" on his preparations for the Test series, which starts from December 18.
Ryan Harris claimed the last two wickets at the fag end of the match as South Africa were bowled out for 265 and lost the third and final Test by 245 runs at Newlands on Wednesday. Australia won the series 2-1.
India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin slipped a place to take the third position in the latest ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers in Dubai on Thursday.
South Africa will need to knock off just 41 runs on Sunday to beat Pakistan in the second Test and take a winning 2-0 lead in the three-test series despite Pakistan providing gallant resistance on the third day at Newlands.
South Africa lost four wickets in the final session of a fluctuating first day of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge on Friday but finished with a defiant flourish to end on 309 for six.
Cheteshwar Pujara scored a sparkling unbeaten 135 as India took a stranglehold over South Africa in the first Test in Johannesburg on Friday. The top-order displayed remarkable application on Day 3, as the tourists, after dismissing the hosts for 244 in the first innings, swelled their overall lead to 320.
Rohit Sharma scored a century in his first innings as India's new Test opener and gave the hosts a flying start along with partner Mayank Agarwal of Day 1 of the first Test in Visakhapatnam.
Opener Mayank Agarwal stamped his authority on a struggling South African attack with a second successive hundred as India gained the upperhand on the opening day of the second Test.
India captain Virat Kohli continued to top the ICC Test batsmen's ranking but his deputy Ajinkya Rahane slipped a place to ninth spot. Kohli has 928 points, 17 more than second-placed Australian run-machine Steve Smith, in the latest edition of the rankings released on Saturday.
India captain Virat Kohli blazed a magnificent century, but South Africa hold the upper hand as they reached 90 for two in their second innings on a difficult wicket after rain and then bad light curtailed day three of the second Test on Monday.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg on Monday
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.
Following his fine show with the bat in the fourth cricket Test against England in Manchester, India's Ravichandran Ashwin became the No 1 Test all-rounder in ICC rankings published on Monday
In the ICC Test ranking for batsmen, Virat Kohli was in the second position, while Cheteshwar Pujara was placed sixth.
Dom Bess took three more South African wickets, and grabbed his first test five wicket haul, to increase England's stranglehold
South Africa made a sedate start to their second innings after conceding a 78-run first innings lead to a spirited Bangladesh on day three of the opening Test at Chittagong on Thursday.
Kagiso Rabada claimed a six-wicket haul on Thursday as South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 224 in their second innings to win the second Test by 282 runs with a day and a half to spare and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Sri Lanka failed to last the first session of the fourth day at Newlands, having resumed on 130-4 and being dismissed after just over 100 minutes of play.
South Africa's bowlers needed a little more than an hour of the final day's play to dismiss Sri Lanka for 281 in their second innings and claim a 206-run victory in the first Test in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
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.
New Zealand completed their World Cup preparations with a 134-run victory over South Africa on Wednesday.
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.
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.
Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers have been recalled to South Africa's One-day international side for the visit of New Zealand later this month, but young wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has been axed after a poor run of form in Bangladesh.
South Africa have slipped to number six in the world, behind fifth-placed Sri Lanka, and have a host of questions to answer, not least around a brittle top six and the balance of the side.
Hashim Amla has praised pacer Ishant Sharma, who led a devastating exhibition of seam bowling to bring India back into the first Test.
Images from the second day's play of the first Test between South Africa and India at the New Wanderers stadium in Johannesburg on Thursday.
India captain Virat Kohli will end the year at the top of the ICC Test ranking chart for batsmen but five-day specialist Cheteshwar Pujara slipped a place to fifth. With 928 points, Kohli is way ahead of second-placed Australian maestro Steve Smith (911) and New Zealand's inspirational skipper Kane Williamson (822), while Australia's Marnus Labuschagne, who has amassed 1,085 runs in 11 Tests this year, improved a place to grab the fourth spot.
Captain Faf du Plessis led from the front with a hard-earned century to give South Africa a commanding 205-run advantage at the end of the second day of the second Test against Pakistan, at Newlands, on Friday.
Umesh Yadav admitted that the credit for his first two wickets entirely goes to Saha for his brilliant display behinds the stumps.
Former cricketer Jonty Rhodes believes Indian batsmen can perform well against the South African pace attack in the three-Test series later this year.
Ben Stokes survived several scares but featured in a 76-run late afternoon partnership with Ollie Pope as England reached 224 for four wickets at close on the opening day of the third Test against South Africa on Thursday.
Former captain Shaun Pollock thinks Dale Steyn will be remembered as the best Test bowler South Africa has produced even if he never gets back on to the pitch to claim the record as the country's most prolific wicket-taker.
Images from the Day 2 of the second Test at Newlands on Saturday.
South Africa coach Gary Kirsten defended his team's preparations after his pace brigade was laid low by injury in the second Test on Thursday, leaving his back-up bowlers at the mercy of a voracious Michael Clarke and the Australian batsmen.
Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal ripped through South Africa's batting to leave them reeling on 139 for five at the end of a controversial second day in the second Test at Newlands on Friday. Ajmal grabbed five for 41 but his brilliant first-innings performance was almost overshadowed by three incidents involving umpire Steve Davis.
England paceman Jofra Archer escaped being banned from bowling for the rest of the first Test against South Africa after delivering two successive beamers late in the twilight at the end of a frustrating day for his team on Friday. Archer bowled two full tosses at South Africa nightwatchman Anrich Nortje in the penultimate over of the day which were both no-balled by umpire Paul Reiffel, only for his decision on the second no-ball to be rescinded.
James Anderson marked his 150th Test and return to the England attack with the first-ball wicket of home opener Dean Elgar, and Sam Curran also grabbed four wickets before Quinton de Kock rallied the Proteas. Images from Day 1 of the opening Test played between South Africa and England at Centurion on Thursday.
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn became the third fastest bowler to pick 300 wickets in Test cricket when he bowled Doug Bracewell in the first session of the first Test against New Zealand at Newlands on Wednesday.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis will miss the first Test against England at Lords starting on Thursday due to family reasons, the cricket board confirmed.
While wicket-keeper-batsman Klaasen recently notched 69 runs from 30 balls in South Africa's six-wicket win over India in the 2nd T20I, 20-year-old Mulder has played a single ODI against Bangladesh at East London in October 2017.
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