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.
Sri Lanka suffered a fresh blow due to injury after pace spearhead Nuwan Pradeep was ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing Test series against India in Colombo on Friday.
Images from Day 2 of the second Test between India and Sri Lanka, in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
South Africa remained on course for victory at the close at Kingsmead on Friday.
Opener Dimuth Karunaratne missed out on a maiden double hundred but his 238-run stand with fellow centurion Dinesh Chandimal set up Sri Lanka's first-innings total of 484 on day two against West Indies in the opening test at Galle on Thursday.
Captain Graeme Cremer picked up three wickets with his leg spin to help Zimbabwe reduce hosts Sri Lanka to 293 for seven at the end of the second day in their one-off Test at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.
Seamer Wiaan Mulder, brought belatedly into the home attack, took three wickets in 11 balls to see Sri Lanka slump to 80-4, after which Nortje bagged regular victims to complete a second test five-wicket haul.
Jasprit Bumrah was keen to share the plaudits with the rest of the attack, even though he was the undoubted star of the bowling show during India's seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka.
Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne missed individual centuries but forged Australia's highest partnership of the summer to earn the hosts a handy first innings lead against Sri Lanka on day two of the series opening day-night Test on Friday.
The visitors never got going as spinners Ravichandran Ashwin (4/67) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/56) along with comeback-man Ishant Sharma (3/37) shared the spoils.
Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva safely guided their side to 84 without loss in their second innings at the close of the second day's play in the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday after being forced to follow-on.
Images from the first Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka, in Lucknow, on Thursday.
With just one win, Sri Lanka are currently at the sixth spot with four points and will have to win rest of their four matches to stay in contention for the semi-final.
Sri Lanka have not played a match at the World Cup since June 4, forced to split points with Bangladesh and Pakistan following two washed out games.
Sarfraz Ahmed will continue as Pakistan captain at the World Cup in May despite serving a suspension for breaching the anti-racism code, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani said on Tuesday.
Images from Day 1 of the first Test between India and Sri Lanka, at Mohali, on Friday.
Sri Lanka needed a little over 26 overs to chase down a 153-run victory target for a series-levelling seven-wicket victory in the second Test against Pakistan on Monday.
India's young batsmen produced a brilliant collective effort to pile up a mammoth first innings score of 503 for seven against Sri Lanka in the opening 'Youth Test' match in Dambulla, on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka need to win their final two games, and hope for favourable outcomes in England and Pakistan's next fixtures.
Having taken a handy 139-run first-innings lead, England declared their second innings on 322 for six to set Sri Lanka an improbable 462-run victory target.
Former champions Sri Lanka are all but out of the tournament after the Islanders produced a dismal batting show to manage a modest 203, a target which the Proteas overhauled with 76 balls in hand.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam was named the International Cricket Council's ODI Cricketer of the Year following his exploits in 2021 when he scored 405 runs in six games at an average of 67.50.
The tourists reached the close at 42 for one in their reply, a deficit of 316 runs that they will seek to wipe out on a slow pitch on day three in the first match of a two-Test series.
Rajneesh Gupta presents the interesting numbers from Day 5 of the India-England Test at Lord's.
South Africa took 16 Sri Lanka wickets in a little over two sessions to secure a ruthless victory by an innings and 118 runs in the third and final Test at the Wanderers on Saturday.
Root said that spinning tracks will throw challenges to the visiting team but they are adapting to the conditions quickly.
The Indian team will want Sanju Samson to translate his phenomenal talent into consistent performances when they try to wrap up the T20 International series against Sri Lanka by winning the second match in Colombo on Tuesday.
Avishka Fernando and Kusal Mendis scored centuries as Sri Lanka crushed the West Indies by 161 runs in the second One-Day International in Hambantota on Wednesday to clinch the series. Chasing 346 for victory, the West Indies were bowled out for 184 in 39.1 overs, wrist spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan taking three wickets each.
Team India will have to choose between experimenting and continuing the winning combination
Captain Graeme Cremer scored his maiden Test century on Monday to help Zimbabwe avoid the follow-on as they scored 373 in reply to Sri Lanka's 537 in the first Test.
Pakistan's Yasir Shah claimed seven second innings wickets in a spectacular display of leg-spin bowling to destroy Sri Lanka.
Netherlands' Kingma gets four-match suspension for ball-tampering.
Sri Lanka pace bowler Lasith Malinga ripped through the England batting line-up with four wickets as the former champions handed the favourites a 20-run defeat in a low-scoring World Cup match.
Usman Khawaja found his scoring touch and fast bowler Mitchell Starc returned to his fiery best as Australia moved within sight of victory in the second Test against Sri Lanka at the Manuka Oval on Sunday.
Burns, who had scored the last of his three Test hundreds against New Zealand in early 2016, was batting on 107, the first century by an Australian batsman since Usman Khawaja's 141 in the drawn Dubai Test against Pakistan last October.
Sri Lanka's openers shared a fluent century stand to lead their side to 162 for one in reply to England's 416 on the second day of the third and final Test at Lord's on Friday.
Images from Day 2 of the third and final Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo on Sunday.
India is being represented by 487 athletes in more than 15 disciplines.
India set Sri Lanka a daunting 410-run victory target and dented the tourists' top order to maintain their iron grip on the third and final Test on Tuesday.
With the pitch showing no signs of aiding the bowlers, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is pinning his hopes on the second new ball to give India breakthroughs on the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka.
