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.
South Africa's two-test series success over Sri Lanka on Monday catapulted them to first place in the World Test Championship and put them firmly on course for next year's final in what would have been unthinkable less than a year ago.
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.
South Africa ended 27 years of hurt by beating Australia at Lord's to win the ICC World Test Championship 2025.
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.
Sri Lanka were dismissed for their lowest test total of 42 after South Africa's Marco Jansen produced bowling heroics to help the hosts take a firm grip on the first Test.
Australia will have to dust off the cobwebs but are still fancied to successfully defend their World Test Championship crown against equally ring-rusty South Africa in the final at Lord's.
There was much criticism of how South Africa managed to reach the final without playing either Australia and England in the two-year qualifying period.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen on Saturday rated Protea opener Aiden Markram's measured hundred against Australia in the World Test Championship final as the "best innings" by a South African batter in Test matches.
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.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
Instead of waiting for the injury to heal by itself, he decided to hit the "baseball cage" in New York, where he owns an apartment.
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.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
The Proteas, under skipper Temba Bavuma, ended a 27-year-long drought for an ICC trophy by defeating Australia in the WTC final at Lord's recently with Rabada taking nine wickets in the match.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
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.
Tiny Temba Bavuma scored his maiden Test century for South Africa on Tuesday and suggested English sledging helped him reaching the landmark.
Australia took the upper hand in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's, ending day two on 144-8 in their second innings with a lead of 218 runs after wickets tumbled freely again on Thursday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the WTC Final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's on Wednesday
South Africa's white-ball skipper Temba Bavuma believes that a series win over India in the upcoming three-match ODI rubber will give the home team a "hell lot of confidence" going ahead.
Images from the first One-Day International between South Africa and India, in Paarl, on Wednesday.
'I don't know what the maths looks like but we're playing good cricket and we want it to continue.'
Captain Temba Bavuma hailed what he termed South Africa's brave decision to bat first in their comprehensive 107-run Champions Trophy win over Afghanistan on Friday
As the PSL coincided with the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season, Bosch opted out of the PSL, leading the PCB to issue him a legal notice for an alleged contract violation.
South Africa's openers have struggled and the skipper said losing Quinton de Kock to injury has affected the team.
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.
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
Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, behind South Africa, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.
'They are formidable but not unbeatable. It was just one phase with the bat where we let ourselves down and a quality side like India made us pay'.
When I think of the character of this team, our never-say-die attitude stands out. There are only three of us who have played over 50 Tests, but we never back down from a challenge
What each team from Group B needs to do to make the semis.
Temba Bavuma hopes his eye-catching innings in South Africa's seven-wicket victory over England in the first One-day international at Newlands on Tuesday will end the debate over whether he deserves his place in the side.
Afghanistan earned a first-ever One Day International victory over a depleted South Africa when they romped to a comfortable six-wicket triumph in the first game of the three-match series in Sharjah on Wednesday.
Bavuma will captain the team to the 2021 and 2022 Twenty20 World Cups, as well as the 50-over World Cup in 2023. Elgar has been handed the reins for the next cycle of the ICC Test Championship that will run up until mid-2023.
The 30-year-old De Kock, who has already retired from Test cricket, confirmed he will not play One-Day Internationals beyond the World Cup.
Spin great Ravichandran Ashwin says New Zealand, despite the absence of the long-serving pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who have quit playing the 50-over format, will pose a challenge to India.
Temba Bavuma scored an unbeaten half-century as South Africa reached 233 for four at end of Day 1
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