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.
These stunning pictures show the reality of life for a serving soldier in the British Army. From displaying true grit on the frontline, to the impressive sight of an Apache soaring out of a raging fireball, to troops simply enjoying some downtime, they offer a glimpse into what troops face daily. The pictures in the annual Army Photographic Competition have been taken by amateur and professional soldier cameramen.
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 skipper Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie surpassed 413 to set a world record for the opening wicket partnership.
Indian One-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is within touching distance of regaining the top spot in the ICC ODI Player Rankings after his consistent show with the bat in the just-concluded Asia Cup helped him jump two spots in the chart.
Former England batsman Graeme Hick became on Thursday the first player to score 100 centuries for Worcestershire.
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.
Graeme Smith attributed Rajasthan Royals' success in the IPL to team spirit and the showing of the up-and-coming Indian youngsters in the side.
The Indian skipper joined South African great Hashim Amla as the fastest to 50 centuries in international cricket in 348 innings.
For debutant Keaton Jennings, it was a dream come true just to turn out for England in a Test match and then to follow it up with a century on his debut was even more 'surreal' for the young left-hander. Jennings, who was dropped on nought, played a splendid knock of 112 in his first innings in Test cricket, lifting England to 288 for five at stumps after they had elected to bat first.
"I think the margins are very small on wickets like these. Maybe we were 30 runs short in the first innings as we lost our way towards the end of that. And with India getting that lead - those were the two swinging points in the match. Once India got the lead it was always going to be tough for us and the wicket also deteriorated further but I don't blame anybody for the defeat," said the South African captain.
Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin might have dismissed Kumar Sangakkara in his last four innings, but the legendary cricketer rated veteran India pacer Zaheer Khan as one of the most dangerous bowlers he has faced during his 15-year long illustrious career.
South Africa's in-form batsman Hashim Amla, who scored a fine 51 in his team's total of 265 all out on Day 1 of the third Test against India, reveals the secret of his success against spinners.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first in the third and final Test at the Green Park in Kanpur on Friday. India captain Anil Kumble ended all speculation over his chances of playing by handing over the mantle to Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
India were bowled out for 627 before South Africa replied with a solid 131 for one in their second innings to take a 44-run lead, on Day 4 of the first Test.
Neil McKenzie scored 94 and Hashim Amla was unbeaten on 85 as South Africa amassed 304 for 4 by the end of the first day in the first Test against India. India must be grateful to spinners Harbhajan (2 for 92) and Anil Kumble (2 for 61) for helping them fightback.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against India.
"We have a lot of respect for Shaun Pollock but the team that did really well in Pakistan deserves another chance," Graeme Smith told reporters on Wednesday.
A second place finish at the inaugural Ballantine's Championships in South Korea helped Jeev Milkha Singh climb 11 spots to be placed at 79th in the latest official world golf rankings.
Two runners-up finishes in five weeks have convinced Indian ace Jeev Milkha Singh that his game is going in the right direction and a title is just round the corner.
Graeme McDowell birdied the third sudden-death playoff hole against India's Jeev Milkha Singh to win the title in Korea.
A wild approach at the 18th hole cost Graeme McDowell the outright lead after the third round of the US $ 2.9 million Ballantine's Championship in Jeju, South Korea on Saturday. A double-bogey six gave the Northern Irishman a six-under 66, leaving him tied with India's Jeev Milkha Singh on 18-under 198. Singh fired a sparkling 64 in calm conditions on the honeymoon island of Jeju following two days of gusting winds.
Jeev Milkha Singh came up with a disciplined performance to card a six-under 66 in the second round and maintain his tied second spot in the $ 2.9 million Ballantine's Championship in Jeju on Friday.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith struck an unbeaten 103 on Sunday to guide his team to a nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first one-day international.
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.
South Africa has the opportunity to dethrone Australia and secure the top spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship Table at the April 1 cut-off if it sweeps the three-match series against Bangladesh starting in Chittagong on Sunday. Australia and South Africa are currently both sitting on 127 ratings points but Graeme Smith's side is behind Ricky Ponting's side by just 0.529 of a point when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
Spinner Robin Peterson took five wickets to lead South Africa to a crushing victory by an innings and 205 runs in the second Test against Bangladesh on Monday. The touring side bowled out their hosts for 119 on the fourth day to complete a 2-0 series win. South Africa captain Graeme Smith and fast bowler Dale Steyn were named man of the match and man of the series respectively.
Handed a rude shock in the opening game, the Indian youngsters will have to raise their game in the second Twenty20 International to stay afloat in the three-match series against minnows Zimbabwe, in Harare on Monday.
Graeme Smith (223 not out) and Neil McKenzie (169 not out) put on a record opening stand as South Africa took command of the second cricket Test against Bangladesh on the opening day itself, finishing on 405 without loss at close.
South Africa were 178 for four, just 27 runs short of victory after bowling Bangladesh out for 182.
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.
Reaction after England beat New Zealand on number of boundaries hit in the Cricket World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday.
Pakistan-born cricketer Sikander Raza, who recently made his debut against Bangladesh in a home series, has been named in the 16-member Zimbabwe squad, led by Brendon Taylor that will take on India in a five match ODI series starting July 24, in Harare.
Arjun Atwal remained on course to end a prolonged title drought while an upwardly mobile SSP Chowrasia joined the US-based Indian at tied fifth spot after the penultimate round of the Indian Masters in New Delhi on Saturday.
South Africa were 140 for six wickets in their first innings when rain brought an early close to play on the second day of the first test at SuperSport Park on Thursday. Mitchell Johnson had figures of 4 for 51.
Herschelle Gibbs struck an imperious century to spur South Africa to an eight-wicket win over West Indies on Sunday and a clean sweep in the five-match series.
West Indies totalled 263 for nine, and South Africa replied with 266 for five in 47.5 overs in the fourth ODI.
Captain Graeme Smith led South Africa to their triumph, smashing an unbeaten 89 from 61 deliveries to steer the host nation past Australia's impressive total of 179-8.
South Africa beat West Indies by 86 runs in the second one-day international on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
