The unprecedented moment came during the 37th over of New Zealand's innings when Gwavu was spotted patrolling the field.
AB de Villiers feels the criticism that has come South Africa's way is unwarranted and they have rather done well to reach the WTC final despite experiencing "so many changes" in the last three to five years.
South Africa crushed England by seven wickets in their final group match to storm into the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy.
The Proteas will now face the Group A runners-up in the semifinals, with India and New Zealand set to battle for Group A placings in Dubai on Sunday.
South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj believes his team deserves to lift the World Test Championship trophy after their consistent performances throughout the cycle.
The current WTC system awards the same number of points -- 12 for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw -- which has given rise to discontent that India, England and Australia -- the Big Three in cricket -- "are disadvantaged as they play more games against each other".
Despite a promising start led by Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen, the Proteas' middle order crumbled under pressure, leaving their chase of 362 out of reach.
Temba Bavuma-led South Africa on Monday clinched a massive 10-wicket victory over Pakistan
K L Rahul has been the standout wicketkeeper-batter in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) thus far and is a contender for a spot in the national T20 team, reckons former South Africa and Mumbai Indians' head coach Mark Boucher.
Priyansh, a 24-year-old southpaw from Delhi, made a stunning debut for the Punjab Kings, smashing a 39-ball century in his first IPL game.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
Ryan Rickelton posted the joint seventh-highest score by a South African in Tests with 259 as his side ran up a huge 615 before reducing Pakistan to 64/4 at the close on Day 2.
'I think any captain who wants to lead from the front, they want to lead through performance as well, and that's what Temba's done exceptionally well.'
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Santner acknowledged India's superior game plan and their ability to dictate terms in the middle phase.
'I think any experience in the sub-continent is valuable.'
Debutants Afghanistan will aim to continue their impressive rise in white-ball cricket, while South Africa will once again attempt to shed the 'chokers' tag when the two sides kick-off their Champions Trophy campaign in Karachi on Friday.
It'll be a miracle for Shikhar Dhawan's side, who not only needed a win against Delhi Capitals, but also needed to boost their net run-rate and neither happened.
As the Champions Trophy kicks off, some memorable moments from past tournaments.
South Africa opening batter Matthew Breetzke broke a 47-year-old record when he made the highest score on ODI debut with 150 in a losing effort against New Zealand in a Tri-Nations match.
When Vipraj was dismissed for a brilliant 39 in 15 balls (five fours and two sixes), the equation went down to 42 in 24 balls, which Ashutosh chased down.
Devon Conway scored a half-century to guide New Zealand to a seven-run victory over South Africa in a rain-affected World Cup warm-up game on Monday.
India wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson said that he had a lot of failures in his life and the century against the Proteas meant a lot to him.
South Africa sealed a comprehensive 190-run victory over New Zealand on Wednesday for their sixth win in seven matches.
With the top two teams in each pool advancing to the semi-finals, the victor of Tuesday's clash in Rawalpindi will have one foot in the knockout rounds.
Overall, in 25 matches Maharaj has picked up 59 wickets, averaging 17.76 with a bowling strike rate of 35.5.
The outcome of the last group match between India and New Zealand on Sunday will determine if Australia or South Africa will face Rohit Sharma and Co in Dubai.
Opener Shubman Gill fell one run short of a deserved half-century as India knocked off their target in 19.1 overs, completing a 2-1 series victory after going down in the opening ODI of the series in Lucknow.
Australia's specialist spinner Adam Zampa went wicketless in the last game and gave away 53 runs from eight overs but Cummins said critics should not look too deeply into his form.
Varun Chakaravarthy picked up three wickets and gave 25 runs in his four-over and helped the Men in Blue to defend the given target.
Karunaratne, 36, scored 7222 runs in Tests at a healthy average of nearly 40, including a top score of 244. He also played 50 ODIs, scoring 1,316 runs.
India outclassed South Africa by nine wickets in the final in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday for their second successive Under-19 T20 World Cup.
'Bumrah's 2024 exploits were a masterclass in skill, precision, and relentless consistency,' ICC said in a statement.
South Africa's run to the WTC final has been driven by their dominant performances, especially at home. In those matches, their potent pace attack, featuring Kagiso Rabada (37 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19.8) and Marco Jansen (29 wickets in 7 matches), has proved to be a game changer.
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
Images from the IPL 2025 match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders.
South African captain Temba Bavuma has said that the ICC Champions Trophy is a bigger challenge than the 50-over World Cup because the lesser number of matches makes it tough for teams to make a comeback.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj took five wickets as South Africa secured a 109-run victory over Sri Lanka on the last day of the second Test.
Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals secured two points each as the match between the two sides was abandoned due to heavy rain
Jasprit Bumrah has been nominated for the ICC men's Player of the Month award for December 2024 after his standout performance against Australia.
New Zealand batsman Tom Latham says his team will take confidence from their recent win over South Africa in the tri-series when they face the same opponents in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy in Lahore on Wednesday.
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