Can India avoid the humiliation of a series whitewash, asks Harish Kotian.
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.
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.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the 2nd Test played at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday
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.
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.
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.
South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis had a close shave this morning when he banged his car against the gate of a house in Wynberg, a suburb in the south of Cape Town.
The fate of India's upcoming tour of South Africa amid the trepidation triggered by new COVID-19 variant Omicron will be addressed when the Board of Control for Cricket in India holds its 90th Annual General Meeting in Kolkata on Saturday.
'It's an exciting time to play,' says Alistair Cook.
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.
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.
India cricket coach Gary Kirsten's ailing mother Gayl Hall passed away in Cape Town on Friday after losing a battle against cancer. Gayl was 64 and undergoing treatment for lung cancer at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital.
Wasim Jaffer and Dinesh Karthik provided only the second instance in this decade of both Indian openers scoring fifty in the same innings in a Test away from subcontinent, on Day 1 of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town.
Dhoni donned the gloves for a short while during Monday's practice, and the focus was on Dinesh Kaarthick, who kept receiving throws from Greg Chappell and the slip cordon.
Former Test stars Mark Taylor of Austalia and Ian Bishop of the West Indies have been inducted in the revised ICC Cricket Committee.
The hockey team lost their opening match of the four-Test series 2-1 against the hosts at the Stellenbosch hockey stadium.
Former Australia captain Mark Taylor resigned from Cricket Australia's (CA) board of directors on Monday, as the fallout from a scathing review into the governing body's culture claimed another victim.
Hashim Amla struck an unbeaten half-century as South Africa brushed aside some early alarms to record a six wicket victory over Pakistan on day three of the first Test at Centurion Park on Friday.
Spectators stood up and waved sandpapers at Warner as he walked off the field
The West Indies suffered the first whitewash in their history when they were beaten 5-0 in South Africa in 1998.
South Africa were 155 for two in reply to New Zealand's first innings of 593 for eight declared when bad light ended play in the 12th over after tea.
Rookie batsman Imraan Khan joined Hashim Amla as the second Indian-Origin player in the South African team which will be without regular skipper Graeme Smith in the third and final Test against Australia starting March 19 in Cape Town.
A recurring knee injury has put the fast bowler out of the rest of New Zealand's ongoing tour.
A 22 year old took the honours on Day 3.
'I take full responsibility ... There was a failure of leadership, of my leadership. I'll do everything I can to make up for my mistake and the damage it's caused.'
South Africa are still fretting over the fitness of their key batting all rounder Jean-Paul Duminy ahead of their opening Test against hosts India commencing at Mohali on November 5.
South Africa coach Ottis Gibson believes the world's best Test bowler Kagiso Rabada has learnt from his brush with suspension and expects more mature on-field behaviour in the third Test against Australia starting in Cape Town on Thursday.
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.
'If there were ever a PR exercise to fix the seemingly irreparable image of Australian cricket in the aftermath of the most notorious on-field scandal in recent memory, then this is it,' observes Dhruv Munjal.
India's INS Mumbai and INS Karmukh will take part in the event, which includes the very basic to the most advanced, and involving submarines and aircraft. South Africa, India and Brazil, who form part of the new forum IBSA, will sport their biggest frigates and test the latest electronic systems against each other in a simulated war situation.
Jacques Kallis scored his 19th Test century to inspire South Africa's bowlers on the second day of the third Test against England.
India coach Rahul Dravid admitted that there is a need to have a conversation with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant regarding his shot selection.
