Aiden Markram led South Africa to victory at the 2014 Cricket Under-19 World Cup, and had been tipped by current CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith as a future captain for the senior side.
A B de Villiers described South Africa's squad as a well-balanced unit and backed them to pull off an upset against defending champions Australia.
The depth of fast bowlers at South Africa's disposal was no better evidenced than on Thursday as Corbin Bosch and Dale Paterson took nine of the 10 wickets to dismiss Pakistan for 211 on the opening day of the first Test at Centurion.
South Africa meet India in Centurion in the opening Test starting on December 26 before moving to Cape Town for the second match from January 3.
India's Jasprit Bumrah remains the top-ranked Test bowler in the latest ICC rankings, while Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill hold spots in the top 10 among batsmen.
A look at the possible vice-captain candidates for the Test series in South Africa.
South Africa have a chance of reaching the 2025 World Test Championship final but would likely have to win both Tests against Sri Lanka, and the two-match home series with Pakistan that includes Boxing Day and New Year fixtures.
The tourists went to the close on 213 for one in their second innings, but still trail South Africa by 208 runs after they were forced to follow-on having been bowled out for 194 earlier in the day.
Markram hopes a run of sporting trophy droughts broken in 2025 rings true at the World Test Championship 2025 Final, with the Proteas taking on defending champions Australia from June 11.
Pakistan completed a clean sweep of their One-day International series in South Africa with victory by 36 runs in the third and final clash at The Wanderers on Sunday.
Sri Lanka used the seamer friendly conditions at Kingsmead to reduce South Africa to 80/4 before rain stopped play on the opening day of the first Test
Pakistan's vice-captain and opener Salman Butt was taken to hospital after complaining of severe stomach pain after the opening day of the first Test against South Africa.
South Africa are within touching distance of a place in next June's World Test Championship final at Lord's but must win at least one of their two Tests against Pakistan
'The positive test relates to the substance Furosemide, which is not a performance enhancing substance, and Zubayr has been able to identify how the substance entered his system.'
Aiden Markram himself knows what he is capable of -- and how to express it on a cricket field. And South Africa will be the biggest beneficiary in the coming years.
South Africa have eight wickets in hand and are now overwhelming favourites to finish off the job, and take the title away from champions Australia, who had set them a daunting fourth innings target of 282 in the final on Friday.
Left-arm medium pacer Wayne Parnell, batsman Alviro Petersen, all-rounder Ryan McLaren and paceman Friedel de Wet were named in an expanded Test squad of 15 for the opener of their four-match series against England, Cricket South Africa announced on Wednesday.
J P Duminy, who joined the Proteas side as their batting coach in March last year, left his role with immediate effect following a mutual agreement, said the country's cricket governing body (CSA).
South Africa thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 273 runs to secure a 2-0 series sweep after enforcing the follow on and dismissing the hosts for 143 on day three of the second Test
Australia paceman Peter Siddle has hit back at criticism of his omission for the third and final Test against South Africa, saying his participation would have risked a long-term injury that might have ultimately hurt his side more.
South Africa were five wickets from victory as Sri Lanka finished the third day of the first Test on 103-5 in their second innings after being set a 516-run target on Friday.
Aiden Markram will replace Temba Bavuma as South Africa captain for the first Test against Bangladesh later this month, Cricket South Africa said on Friday.
Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs both scored maiden Test hundreds as the tourists amassed 307 runs for two wickets against Bangladesh
South Africa completed victory inside three days after bowling West Indies out for 222, having set them a target of 263 to win the match.
Despite being the world's top-ranked Test side India have struggled with their opening combination, which, in turn, has heaped pressure on the middle order.
The Indian Test team selection meeting in Guwahati will likely involve discussions about Rishabh Pant's future as vice-captain, Jasprit Bumrah's workload, and Suryakumar Yadav's form.
JP Duminy has retained his place ahead of Ashwell Prince in South Africa's squad named on Wednesday for the first two home Tests against Australia. Middle-order batsman Duminy, 24, replaced the injured Prince in the recent series victory in Australia and made a superb 166 to help his side win the second Test in Melbourne.
Seniors Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah are set to make a comeback to Pakistan's ODI team for the tour of South Africa.
Faf du Plessis believes real test for spinners Motie, Hosein will come against South Africa, India
The five-Test away series against India next year is set to be a decisive phase in an unprecedented and taxing schedule for Pat Cummins' ageing side.
Heinrich Klaasen will captain South Africa in three Twenty20 matches against Pakistan next week.
Tristan Stubbs scored an unbeaten career-best 112 from 81 balls as South Africa thumped Ireland by 174 runs to clinch their three-game One-day International series with a game to spare in a hot and humid Abu Dhabi on Friday.
Kyle Verreynne revealed his emotions almost got the better of him before he hit the winning runs to end South Africa's wait for a global trophy.
Aiden Markram hopes South Africa's ICC World Test Championship Final win over Australia has silenced any doubters and consigned their 'chokers' tag to history.
The first Test in the forthcoming three-match rubber between India and South Africa will be played at the Chidambaram stadium, Chepauk, in Chennai from March 26 to 30, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Wednesday.
India has never won a Test series in South Africa and the two Test series, which begins on Boxing Day, December 26, at the SuperSport Park cricket stadium in Centurion, is the last frontier to be overcome for Rohit and his contemporaries Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami.
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen has urged the South African team management to get Heinrich Klaasen out of international cricket retirement in their bid to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 title on home soil.
India's Renuka Singh Thakur is working to rediscover her swing bowling after a challenging tour of South Africa. She is studying old videos and focusing on fitness and skills at a training camp in Bengaluru ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup.
South Africa roped in left-arm spin bowling all-rounder George Linde as a cover for the injured Aiden Markram ahead of their Champions Trophy semi-finals against New Zealand.
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.
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