Australia's batting boot camp focussed more on mental work rather than technical shortcomings with wicketkeeper Brad Haddin predicting the form of the team's batting line-up will make-up for their inexperience in the series against India.
Ian Chappell believes Test cricket is threatened not just by the rising popularity of T20s but also climate change
With injuries to regular fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, Australia have included a uncapped duo Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser in their squad and recalled veteran Peter Siddle for the two-match series next month.
Chasing 211 for victory, South Africa were 111 for two in 27 overs, with capatin Graeme Smith batting on 49 and Shaun Pollock on 25.
'Today, he left deliveries outside off-stump, he got beaten as well but kept his ego with himself. He did not try to dominate the bowlers on every delivery.'
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.
India aim to stay afloat against daunting South Africa in the second Test
South Africa head coach Mark Boucher has ranked the remarkable, come-from-behind 2-1 series triumph over world No. 1 India as one of the best in the Rainbow Nation's Test cricket history.
The 36-year-old remains nominally in Australia's plans for the tour of India in February but is under pressure to perform in the three-match series starting at the Gabba on Saturday after struggling against a modest West Indies attack.
Former South Africa skipper Bacher Ali believes that young black players cannot make it to the country's cricket if they continue to stay in the township culture.
West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor, who has officiated in a record 126 Tests, will retire from international matches in March.
'As big a thing as it became, you never want to see anyone go through that because I have known David and I have known Steve as well'
All-rounder Jacques Kallis dominated the South African Cricket Awards, winning three honours, including the prestigious Cricketer of the Year.
A major shift in 'attitude and culture' is needed in cricket in the wake of the Australian ball-tampering saga that has engulfed the sport, according to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
An undefeated century from Alviro Petersen helped South Africa reach 252 for three after they had skittled embattled New Zealand for 45 on a spectacular opening day of the first Test in Cape Town.
England are thinking of bringing a specialist spinner back into the line-up after going with an all-pace attack in their last two outings, coach Chris Silverwood said as they arrived in Cape Town for their second Test against South Africa starting on Friday. That means a seamer such as record wicket-taker James Anderson or Stuart Broad may be dropped for a contest expected to be played on a much flatter deck than the first Test in Pretoria, which South Africa won by 107 runs inside four days on Sunday.
Australia's vast experience should allow them to get over the calamitous first Test when they were all out for 47 and lost by eight wickets last week, South Africa captain Graeme Smith said on Wednesday.
Jacques Kallis hit his second century of the match as Harbhajan Singh claimed seven wickets to bowl out South Africa for 341 in their second innings on Day 4 in the third Test against South Africa on a high, at Newlands, in Cape Town, on Wednesday.
Former captain Graeme Smith feels South Africa's 'powerful' bowling attack will put the Indian batting line-up under serious pressure in the upcoming Test series, starting January 5 in Cape Town.
South African spinner Paul Harris is looking forward to bowl to Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar during the three-match Test series starting December 16 at Centurion.
Kagiso Rabada proved the destroyer-in-chief with 4-103, assisted by Anrich Nortje who took three wickets for 56 runs as England fell short by 107 runs.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock will be available for the ODI series after his abrupt retirement from Test cricket on Thursday, while all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius earns a recall.
Images from Day 3 in the third Test between India and South Africa in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
South African captain Graeme Smith urged his batsmen to pull up their socks ahead of the crucial third and final Test match against India, which will start at the Newlands, in Cape Town on Sunday.
Cheteshwar Pujara, a vital cog in India's batting wheel, on Tuesday, stressed on the importance of leaving the ball on the bouncy pitches of South Africa during the three-Test series beginning, in Cape Town, on Friday.
Test cricket on Sunday said farewell and thanks to Steve Bucknor, the most experienced umpire to date in the longest form of the game. The 62-year-old Jamaican umpired his final Test match at Newlands in Cape Town between South Africa and Australia, his 128th match in the middle. Bucknor has been umpiring at international level since 1989 when he took charge of the One-Day International (ODI) between the West Indies and India at the Antigua Recreation Ground on March 18.
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.
Australia respect the decision to allow Kagiso Rabada to feature in the rest of the Test series and the South African fast bowler's participation is 'exciting', Australia spinner Nathan Lyon said on Tuesday.
South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs as arrested in the early hours of Thursday morning for drink-driving in Cape Town, reports said on Friday. Gibbs recently signed up to play for Hyderabad in the inaugural Indian Premier League, the multi-million dollar Twenty20 event which begins on April 18, in a deal worth $575,000 dollars.
New Zealand have left Doug Bracewell out of their 15-man squad for a One-day international series in South Africa to manage the seamer's workload, the country's cricket board said on Friday.
His loss for even part of the series would be a huge blow to a team already missing so much batting experience because of the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.
As India go in to the four-match Test series against Australia that commences in Adelaide on Tuesday, here is a factbox.
England off-spinner Graeme Swann's sparkling form in South Africa contrasts with his tour there 10 years ago when he spent a lot of time drinking and was a million miles from the Test side, he was quoted as saying on Sunday.
South Africa-born former England all-rounder Basil D'Oliveira, once the subject of one of cricket's biggest controversies, has died at 80, Cricket South Africa said on Saturday.
Peter Roebuck, one of the most respected cricket commentators, who also wrote for Indian newspapers, committed suicide at his hotel in Cape Town where he was covering Australia's Test series against South Africa.
Dale Steyn has been close to the milestone for more than a year now but, at the age of 34, time is running out for the speed merchant to become South Africa's most prolific wicket taker.
The Barmy Army are bringing much more than just their thirst and their songs to the Test cricket arena in South Africa over the next month - an expected 10,000 visitors also provide a marked income boost for the sport, says South African cricket supremo Haroon Lorgat.
Cricket Australia has appointed an ethics guru to review the sport's culture in the wake of the cheating scandal that has rocked "the gentleman's game".
The Indian Premier League will be a boon, not bane, for India's World Cup-bound players, VVS Laxman believes amid a raging debate around players' workload management programme.
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.
