Photos from the ICC World Cup match played between South Africa and Ireland on Tuesday.
South Africa resorted to dogged stonewalling in their pursuit of an improbable 481-run victory target after Ajinkya Rahane stroked his second century of the match to tighten India's grip on the fourth and final Test on Sunday.
Spinner Moeen Ali crowned his excellent series by taking five wickets as England beat South Africa by 177 runs in the fourth Test in Manchester on Monday to secure a 3-1 series victory.
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn will miss the second Test against England, which starts at Newlands on Saturday, after failing to recover from a shoulder injury, captain Hashim Amla said.
Dean Elgar scored an unbeaten century but an excellent spell of bowling from Australia seamer Pat Cummins restricted South Africa to 266 for eight at the close of play on the opening day of the third Test at Newlands on Thursday.
South Africa were 247 for four at the close with Kallis on 81 and Hashim Amla on 21.
A play-offs spot having sealed after a resounding victory in their previous match, Kolkata Knight Riders would aim for a top-two finish with a win when they take on an inconsistent Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match, in Mohali, on Tuesday.
Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Joe Root, Hashim Amla and Lasith Malinga were among the big names who went unsold at the IPL auction.
India's off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has managed to retain his second spot in the latest ICC player rankings for Test bowlers issued on Sunday.
The former England captain said that both sides must address the fragility in their batting orders, with England too dependent on captain Alastair Cook and Joe Root and the hosts relying on Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers.
Terming the Indian pitches in the ongoing Test series as the toughest he has faced in his career, South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis has said that the senior players in the visiting side need to support their younger team-mates and keep them motivated.
Kagiso Rabada took five wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 147 in their first innings on the second day of the second Test and forced to follow-on by South Africa at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein.
The Indian skipper joined South African great Hashim Amla as the fastest to 50 centuries in international cricket in 348 innings.
Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur pushed South Africa to the backfoot before the classy AB de Villiers rallied the tourists with a typically aggressive century on the second and last day of the practice game against Board President's XI which ended in a draw, in Mumbai, on Saturday.
South Africa put one foot in the World Cup quarter-finals by batting past the 400-run mark for the second successive match to hand Ireland a thumping defeat by 201 runs with five overs to spare at Manuka Oval on Tuesday.
South Africa paceman Vernon Philander will miss the first two Tests against England because of injury, team officials said as the squad returned from their 3-0 hiding in India.
Cheteshwar Pujara was the highest-ranked Indian batsman despite dropping a rung to eighth while R Ashwin held on to his eighth position in the bowlers' chart of the ICC Test rankings.
Aaqib Javed said that India skipper Virat Kohli should look to follow Babar Azam
England, with a series win already secured, can complete South Africa's ignominious fall from the top of the rankings when the final Test of the four-match series starts at Centurion Park in Pretoria on Friday.
Legendary South Africa batter Hashim Amla says more "collective experience" in the Indian side was one of the key factors in the visiting side's comfortable victory in the series-opener at Centurion.
The West Indies cricketer has 14 days from September 21 to respond to the charges.
England must chase down a world-record 474 to win the second Test while South Africa have two full days to bowl them out after the tourists' batsmen provided the strongest possible platform for victory on the third day in Nottingham on Sunday.
Batsman AB de Villiers will return to the role of wicketkeeper for South Africa in the opening two Tests of their four-match home series against England starting in Durban on Boxing Day.
It is a pity that he does not take his youth influencer role more seriously and align his brand endorsements more responsibly, notes Kanika Datta.
Following his return to form in the abruptly-ended West Indies series, Indian batsman Virat Kohli claimed the number two slot in the ICC rankings while swing bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar broke into the top-10 for the first time in his career.
The home side have a narrow advantage of 20 runs with the brilliant De Villiers on 74 from 81 balls and all-rounder Vernon Philander to resume on 14 in the search for what could be crucial first innings runs in an engrossing contest.
Images from the World Cup opener between England and South Africa at the Oval, on Thursday.
Stand-in skipper AB de Villiers knocked the stuffing out of England attack with a blistering 28-ball 69 before the bowlers chipped in with useful contributions to propel South Africa to a three-run win and a semifinal berth at the ICC World T20 in Chittagong on Saturday.
Lungi Ngidi ruled out for 'at least a week to 10 days'; Amla recovering well
Captain Kane Williamson struck a composed unbeaten century as New Zealand edged past South Africa by four wickets in a thrilling last-over finish.
Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, on Monday, criticised the national selectors for resting six senior players, including skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, for the upcoming ODI series against Australia, saying a good outing would have boosted their confidence ahead of the World Cup.
South Africa are still reeling after the first Test setback against England and have drafted in former captain Graeme Smith to assist the side with ideas and their psychological approach.
Vaughan even went on to say that Australia will "convincingly" defeat India in all formats.
Defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad will start favourites when they take on the struggling-for-survival Kings XI Punjab in an Indian Premier League match, in Mohali, on Thursday.
Former West Indies batting great Brian Lara has criticized South Africa's 'blockathon' approach against India during the fourth and final Test at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, in New Delhi.
South Africa's Temba Bavuma struck his maiden Test century in quick time (102 off 148), and in so doing, became the first black South African to crack a Test ton.
South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has been fined 75 per cent of his match fee for nudging Bangladesh opening batsman Tamim Iqbal.
Smith could emerge as the figure the embattled team looks up to for a revival in its fortunes.
India captain Virat Kohli blazed a magnificent century, but South Africa hold the upper hand as they reached 90 for two in their second innings on a difficult wicket after rain and then bad light curtailed day three of the second Test on Monday.
A teenaged English cricketer has made it to the record books by becoming the youngest player to score a double century in the history of England's County Championship.
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