England's top order crumbled to 20 for six wickets in five overs as they were dismissed for a modest total of 153 before the Proteas cruised to a seven-wicket victory for a consolation triumph after the hosts won the first two matches of the series.
South African stand-in captain Aiden Markram said home side Pakistan were well within their rights to prepare extreme turning wickets for their two-Test series, which starts in Lahore on Sunday, as they did last year to beat England.
Italy are gearing up for their Twenty20 World Cup debut, hoping a strong showing next month will help the sport break into popular culture in a soccer-obsessed nation that does not have a natural cricket pitch.
South Africa have named an unchanged squad for the remaining two Tests against England as AB de Villiers prepares to lead the five-day team for the first time in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Veteran allrounder Marizanne Kapp excelled with both bat and ball, while skipper Laura Wolvaardt and Sune Luus also smashed fine half-centuries as South Africa defeated Pakistan by 150 runs (DLS Method) in a rain-affected Women's World Cup match to go top of the table, in Colombo, on Tuesday.
Australia pacer Michael Neser found day one of his maiden Boxing Day Test a dream come true.
Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma's superb all-round showing powered India to a historic first-ever Women's ODI World Cup title after they outclassed South Africa by 52 runs in the final.
Blair Tickner took 4/34 and Daryl Mitchell hit 56 not out as New Zealand beat England by five wickets in the second one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday to seal the three-match series 2-0.
Smriti Mandhana dropped a rung to second but Jemimah Rodrigues scaled nine positions to be 10th in the latest ICC women's ODI rankings after India's title-winning World Cup performance.
Heinrich Klaasen, who smashed a 67-ball 109 in the victory over England, South Africa have made a strong statement ahead of fixtures against New Zealand and India in the ICC World Cup.
South Africa were 155 for two in reply to New Zealand's first innings of 593 for eight declared when bad light ended play in the 12th over after tea.
For the golden generation of Indian cricketers, this is their last chance to conquest what no other team could on eight previous tours.
Elgar said the weather would dictate whether they played with an all-seam attack or again with three quicks and two spinners when the third and final Test begins at The Oval on Thursday, but predicted two or three changes to the line-up.
England replace Shoaib Bashir with Liam Dawson in playing XI for 4th Test against India
South African captain Laura Wolvaardt said she "couldn't be prouder" of her team's campaign in the ICC Women's World Cup and promised to get stronger in the coming times after they lost to India in the title clash in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
South Africa play three ODIs against England, starting at the weekend, following on three Twenty20 Internationals.
The Proteas finished second in Group 1, behind defending champions Australia who won all their four matches.
Pakistan's veteran batter Babar Azam surpassed Rohit Sharma's world record for the most runs by a batter in T20 Internationals.
Afghanistan unit will be heading into the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka with hopes of replicating their historic performance during the 2024 edition
Sanju Samson's T20I future took another hit on Tuesday as India benched him yet again, favouring the finishing skills of Jitesh Sharma in a team that now appears fully committed to its Shubman Gill-led blueprint.
Stuart Broad started the third Test against South Africa feeling unwell but finished it on an incredible high after grabbing six wickets to spur England to a series victory on Saturday.
Potential windfall for women's squad: BCCI might match prize money of T20 WC winning men's team
'We are absolutely delighted that England and Wales has been chosen to host the next three ICC World Test Championship Finals.'
Seeking to continue their confident start to the tournament, a well-balanced India will begin as firm favourites despite facing a tricky Bangladesh in their second match of the ICC U-19 World Cup, in Bulawayo, on Saturday.
India's awe-inspiring batting depth will face a stern test against South Africa's quality spin attack in the first Test, starting in Kolkata on Friday.
Speaking on The Great Indian Cricket Show on Doordarshan, Mukund, who represented India in seven Tests from 2011-17, said: "I think Shubman has it in him to become an all-format captain, but I do not think India should have an all-format captain anymore."
Dean Elgar joins Aiden Markram on the list of players who have expressed interest in the job.
The Natural History Museum, London, has officially unveiled the 24-image shortlist for the 2026 Nuveen People's Choice Award. This prestigious contest, a key part of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and supported by lead sponsor Nuveen, invites the public to decide which image will be crowned the winner.
England, needing a massive 401 to win, closed the fourth day on 165 for five.
For Ian Smith, a player of Rishabh Pant's calibre walks into any T20 side and hence the former New Zealand stumper finds it baffling that the keeper-batter hasn't been picked for the upcoming World Cup starting in less than three weeks' time.
South Africa's two heaviest defeats have transpired when they fielded first and were accompanied by a lack of discipline as well as dropped chances.
Dhruv Jurel made a strong case for his continued presence in the senior Test eleven with his second hundred in as many innings against South Africa A while fortifying India A's position on the third day of the four-day match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
A versatile and dynamic Australian unit, without key pacer Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who is likely to miss the early stages of the tournament, will be going into the T20 World Cup with hopes of going deep in the tournament.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to return to international duties in June when India host Afghanistan for a three-match ODI series.
Indian multinational conglomerate Reliance Industries and Surrey County Cricket Club on Wednesday announced their partnership in The Hundred and expectedly renamed the franchise MI London.
If K L Rahul scores another 32 runs in the fifth and final Test at the Oval, he will surpass Gavaskar, who amassed a record tally of 542 runs in seven innings during the tour of England in 1979.
South Africa won the fourth and final Test by an innings and 74 runs on Sunday, bowling England out for 169 just before lunch on the fourth day at the Wanderers to level the series at 1-1.
Stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can extend their careers till the 2027 ODI World Cup if the two Indian superstars continue their age-defying batting efforts, feels New Zealand pace great Tim Southee.
Rishabh Pant celebrated Diwali with his family on Monday, sharing warm moments from the festivities.
Kallis is the latest high-profile name to be inducted in South Africa's coaching set-up after Mark Boucher's appointment as head coach
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