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.
Cricket Australia imposed a two-year captaincy ban on him for his involvement in the sandpaper gate, ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
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.
South Africa beat Australia for the third game in a row when they won the second Twenty20 international by 17 runs on Sunday. Chasing 157 for victory on Sunday, Australia were derailed by off-spinner Johan Botha, who claimed two for 16 in four overs as the visitors crashed to 103 for five after 15 overs having been 63 for two at the halfway mark.
David Warner's brilliant 173 was not enough to save Australia from a 32-run defeat by South Africa in the fifth and final One-Day International at Newlands in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Both Smith and Warner were also banned from playing the Indian Premier League this year.
South Africa's premier left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj is confident that slow bowlers will play a vital role on flat decks expected to be on offer during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the Americas in June.
Ahead of his final Test match at his home arena of Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), Australian opener David Warner reflected on the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town.
The Indian-origin batsman was included in South Africa's squad for the second Test against New Zealand.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said they are mulling over whether to select a specialist batsman or all-rounder at number six for the opening one-day international against India on Wednesday.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday
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.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, 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.
India were 254 for 3 at stumps on Day 1 in the third Test against South Africa.
South Africa's team psychologist is helping concentrate the players' minds on the first Test against Australia
India coach Rahul Dravid admitted that there is a need to have a conversation with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant regarding his shot selection.
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.
Can India avoid the humiliation of a series whitewash, asks Harish Kotian.
'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'
Rajneesh Gupta glances at the history of this fascinating 21st century cricketing rivalry.
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.
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.
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.
Spectators stood up and waved sandpapers at Warner as he walked off the field
Boucher, whose last assignment with the South African team was the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia where the Proteas exited at the Super 12 stage, said the new role had come with a lot of responsibility.
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.
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.
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.
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.
