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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
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.
The Indian-origin batsman was included in South Africa's squad for the second Test against New Zealand.
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.
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
Both Smith and Warner were also banned from playing the Indian Premier League this year.
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.
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.
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.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between South Africa and Australia at Newlands, Cape Town.
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.
Rajneesh Gupta glances at the history of this fascinating 21st century cricketing rivalry.
Cricket Australia imposed a two-year captaincy ban on him for his involvement in the sandpaper gate, ball-tampering scandal in 2018.
'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'
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.
