South Africa are confident they will put their selection problems behind them during their forthcoming Test series in India, captain Graeme Smith said in Chennai on Saturday. The tourists arrived for the three-Test series amid a storm or controversy following the omission of paceman Andre Nel to fulfil the team's quota of non-white players.
'All the talking stops very quickly and the series becomes a normal series after the first two hours'
South Africa captain Graeme Smith said his side was vastly improved since they last toured Australia and are ready to put the world's top side under pressure in their three-Test series starting next month.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn led South Africa to victory by an innings and 129 runs on the fourth day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Bloemfontein on Saturday. The visitors, following on, resumed on 67 for three and South Africa needed only 27.3 overs to bowl them out for 159.
Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla hit unbeaten centuries as South Africa punished Bangladesh's bowling attack on the first day of the first Test in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. South Africa ended the day, cut short by nine overs by nearly an hour of rain and bad light, on 299 for one with Smith on 138 and Amla on 103.
England skipper Kevin Pietersen won the toss and chose to bat first against India in the third one-day international in Kanpur on Thursday. The start was delayed by 45 minutes due to hazy conditions, reducing play to 49-overs per side.
England's Graeme Swann is set to play in the third one-day international against India after the off spinner was named in a 12-man squad on Wednesday.
South Africa frustrated England's attempts to force a result on the final day of the first test at Lord's on Monday with more stubborn defence on a somnolent pitch to earn a draw. A rearguard action, which started on Saturday evening when South Africa followed on 346 runs in arrears, ended on Monday with the visitors 393 for three in their second innings.
Hashim Amla proved his worth as a limited-overs opening batsman when his century guided South Africa to a series-clinching 128-run victory over Bangladesh on Sunday. Amla hit 140 off 135 balls -- his maiden ODI century -- to lead South Africa, who were sent in to bat, to 358 for four.
Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has expressed his surprise at the retirement announcement by Test captain Graeme Smith, saying that he was a 'little taken aback' by Smith's mid-Test announcement of his retirement from international cricket.
South African captain Graeme Smith and New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori are among those who have agreed to join the Indian Premier League.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith said batsman Kevin Pietersen would be the key player for England in their forthcoming Test and one-day series. South Africa have not won a series in England since 1965, but Smith said the hosts may have their minds on selection issues this time around.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg on Sunday.
1178 - Virender Sehwag's run-aggregate in Test matches in the year 2008 @ 65.44. He is now just one short of equalling Graeme Smith's record tally in this year.
Fast bowler Dale Steyn walked away with four major awards, including Cricketer of the Year, at Cricket South Africa's annual award ceremony. Steyn, who played for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League, won all four awards for which he was nominated. He was also named Test Cricketer of the Year, Players' Player of the Year and the SuperSport Fans' Cricketer of the Year at the ceremony in Johannesburg on Tuesday night.
South Africa's most successful Test captain Graeme Smith is not sure if Virat Kohli can be a long-term leader for India and feels the star batsman's leadership skills are not challenged enough by the team management.
Kings XI Punjab beat Rajasthan Royals by 41 runs in the last league match of the Indian Premier League at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Wednesday.
Warne, Watson to play on Saturday Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi rubbished reports that Rajasthan Royals' skipper Shane Warne -- along with teammates Shane Watson and Graeme Smith is quitting the tournament due to the bomb blasts in Jaipur, saying the trio are already on their way to the Pink City to play the next match there.
Warne, Watson to play on Saturday Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi rubbished reports that Rajasthan Royals' skipper Shane Warne -- along with teammates Shane Watson and Graeme Smith is quitting the tournament due to the bomb blasts in Jaipur, saying the trio are already on their way to the Pink City to play the next match there.
Going by the recent track record, Australia and South Africa have pulled out of tours in the sub-continent due to terror threats.
'I cannot believe that D'Arcy Short has been left out of the side. I don't know what he's done wrong. He can bowl and his batting at the top is dynamic. He's in terrific form, and he and Finch make an awesome partnership at the top'
South Africa captain Graeme Smith is proud of his team's achievements this season despite being outplayed by England in the one-day series. "In terms of the team, we've realised that we've lost some key players in our one-day setup," Smith, who was forced out of the last three one-dayers through injury, told a news conference in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Former England batsman Graeme Hick will retire from county cricket at the end of the season, his Worcestershire team said on their website on Tuesday. The 42-year-old, who has been suffering from a long-term elbow injury, will later this month bring the curtain down on an illustrious county career that never quite translated to the international stage.
Captain Shane Warne hit the fourth and fifth ball of the final over for two huge sixes to ensure Rajasthan Royals a three-wicket win over the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League match at Hyderabad on Thursday.
India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni can inch closer to the top spot of ICC batting rankings if he continues his good form of the Asia Cup in the five-match series against Sri Lanka starting on Monday. Dhoni, who was on top of the batting list for a week in April 2006, is 19 points adrift of table topper South African Graeme Smith in the latest ICC ODI batting list with 773 rating points.
Cricket South Africa has instructed its players to return home after the India Test series to play the semi-finals and final of the Standard Bank Pro20 tournament before competing in the IPL.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith, buoyed by his side's thumping win at Motera a few days back, is unperturbed about what the Green Park pitch hold in store for his team in the final Test against India, beginning Friday.
Sachin Tendulkar held on to his second spot, while his one-day skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni occupies the 10th spot in the ICC One-Day Internationals rankings issued on Monday. The master batsman, who jumped to second spot after his scintillating performance in the tri-series in Australia last month, has 777 rating points, 15 behind South African captain Graeme Smith.
Kevin Pietersen celebrated his first Test as England captain with a consolation six-wicket victory over South Africa in the fourth and final Test on Monday.
Kallis, the nation's leading run-scorer in Tests and one-day internationals, was controversially omitted from the squad for the Twenty20 World Cup, which they exited before the semi-final stage, hosted by South Africa in September.
Kevin Pietersen celebrated his first innings as England captain with a century, leading the hosts to a 122-run first-innings lead over South Africa on the second day of the fourth test at The Oval on Friday. South Africa, bowled out for 194 in the first innings, were 37 for one at the close in reply to England's 316.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith was fined 20 per cent while his teammates were docked 10 per cent match fees after the visitors were found guilty of slow over-rate in their first Test match against India.
Graeme Smith plundered a fighting 154 not out to lead his South Africa team to a five-wicket victory over England that clinched the Test series at Edgbaston on Saturday.
'I think they're in a big fight now'
Following are the statistical highlights of day one of the first Test between India and South Africa in Chennai on Wednesday.
England paceman Steven Finn will miss the remainder of the limited overs series in Australia and return home to work on the technical aspect of his game, his country's cricket board said on Wednesday.
A prolific series in Bangladesh allowed South African captain Graeme Smith to dethrone Sachin Tendulkar from the top spot in the ICC one-day batting rankings. An aggregate of 199 runs for the left-hander not only won him the Player of the Series award but also earned him 39 ratings points which were enough for him to leapfrog Tendulkar as well as Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.
Captain Graeme Smith hit an unbeaten half century as South Africa beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third and final one-day international on Friday, to sweep the series 3-0.
Left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who took career-best figures of five for 33 in South Africa's innings victory over Bangladesh in the second Test, retained his place in the squad which has Ashwell Prince as Graeme Smith's deputy.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith expects an even contest between bat and ball to set up a thrilling finale in the series-deciding third Test against Australia at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
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