Pakistan captain Babar Azam is confident that his side will defeat arch-rivals India in its opening clash of the T20 World Cup as it is more familiar with the conditions, having played mostly in the UAE for the past three to four years.
Former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq was named interim head coach following the resignation of Misbah ul-Haq.
Images from Day 3 of the second Test between India and South Africa, in Pune.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis will miss the first Test against England at Lords starting on Thursday due to family reasons, the cricket board confirmed.
Former captain and Cricket South Africa Director of Cricket Graeme Smith will take the knee along with players and staff in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement during the 3TC Solidarity Cup at the Centurion. Smith said he backed national team pacer Ngidi Lungi on the BLM movement which gathered momentum following the death of African-American George Floyd.
Vernon Philander took two wickets in as many balls to leave Pakistan on 17 for two wickets at the end of the first day of the third Test after they had rallied earlier on Friday and bowled hosts South Africa out for 262.
The letter was also signed by five current coaches including national fielding coach Justin Ontong, ESPNCricinfo had reported.
'We want to give Rohit Sharma an opportunity to open the innings in Tests'
While South Africa grabbed a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, the visitors squandered a golden opportunity to script a memorable win outside the sub-continent.
The plan was to keep Virat Kohli quiet and South Africa's wrecker-in-chief Vernon Philander said his team executed it to perfection during the 72-run win over India in the opening Test in Cape Town.
South Africa have retained the same 15-man squad that saved the series with Pakistan in October for their two home Tests against India later this month.
In the ICC Test ranking for batsmen, Virat Kohli was in the second position, while Cheteshwar Pujara was placed sixth.
India captain Virat Kohli has reached to within one point of top-ranked Steve Smith in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after his imperious 254 not out in the second Test against South Africa in Pune.
West Indies tour of South Africa hit a new low on Wednesday when they were bundled out for 122 in under 34 overs to lose the third one-day international by nine wickets at Buffalo Park.
New Zealand's shock abandonment of their Pakistan tour last month created bad blood between the sides but captain Kane Williamson expects "right spirit" to prevail when the teams clash in Tuesday's Twenty20 World Cup contest in Sharjah.
Pakistan batting consultant Matthew Hayden on Thursday said that the T20 World Cup clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be a 'dogfight', and one team would not run away with the game.
South Africa will need to knock off just 41 runs on Sunday to beat Pakistan in the second Test and take a winning 2-0 lead in the three-test series despite Pakistan providing gallant resistance on the third day at Newlands.
India will be desperately hoping that Rohit replicates his limited overs success in the traditional format
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has named Dean Elgar in the list of its contracted players, in place of the retired Test captain Graeme Smith.
The margin of victory was big enough to be called dominant but South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said he was quite nervous about defending 208 against India in the opening Test.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada, who took three wickets to take apart the Australian top order, has put South Africa in the driver's seat at the end of Day Four of the first Test here at the WACA on Sunday. - Scrorecard: The Proteas closed in on a first Test victory by reducing Australia to 169 for four, still 369 runs behind, at the end of the fourth day. Rabada, who took the price scalps of Shaun Marsh (15), Steven Smith (34) and Adam Voges (1), ensured that his side did not take their foot off the Aussie throats.
South Africa have recalled fast bowler Kyle Abbott for the second Test against India in his home town of Durban starting on Boxing Day (December 26).
Rain washed out day two of the second Test between Australia and South Africa in Hobart on Sunday.
This is the second time Quinton de Kock has won the Cricketer of the Year in CSA's virtual awards
Zak Crawley scored a maiden Test half century before South Africa fought back to restrict England to 192 for four when bad light stopped play early in the opening day of the fourth Test on Friday.
Not just the 40 points, India will also be eyeing a 3-0 whitewash in the Gandhi-Mandela series.
Australia cruised to a seven-wicket consolation victory in the day-night third Test on Sunday after dismissing South Africa for 250 and knocking off the 127 runs for victory for the loss of three wickets before dinner on day four. - Scorecard: There was a minor scare when, with 63 runs still required, Dave Warner was run-out for 47 and Usman Khawaja dismissed for a duck inside one over but there was never any real doubt that Australia would avoid a first ever 3-0 sweep on home soil.
South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis silenced the boos of the Adelaide crowd with a defiant century before declaring on 259 for nine and giving his bowlers a crack at Australia in the final hour of the opening day of the day-night third Test on Thursday.
Images from Day 3 of the 4th Test played between South Africa and England in Johannesburg on Sunday.
South Africa fast bowling great Allan Donald will join Australia as bowling coach for their tour of Sri Lanka this year, local media reported on Wednesday.
'Losing wickets in bunches is something have to plug'
While wicket-keeper-batsman Klaasen recently notched 69 runs from 30 balls in South Africa's six-wicket win over India in the 2nd T20I, 20-year-old Mulder has played a single ODI against Bangladesh at East London in October 2017.
South Africa captain Faf Du Plessis admitted that it is normal to get distracted by the weekend's Indian Premier League auctions as the cash-rich T20 event 'plays a big part in their lives'.
Dhananjaya de Silva enhanced his rapidly-growing reputation with an unbeaten 43 as he kept South Africa's strike bowlers at bay to see Sri Lanka to 181 for seven in their first innings at the end of the second day of the first Test on Tuesday. The 25-year-old, who hit a six with his first scoring shot when he made his Test debut against Australia in July, brought Sri Lanka within 105 runs of South Africa's first innings total of 286 before bad light stopped play for the day.
South Africa and Australia will contest a four-Test series for the first time in almost 50 years when they clash in March and April 2018, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Wednesday. Australia will tour South Africa seeking revenge for their 2-1 home series loss in November and will play four Tests for the first time since being humbled 4-0 on South Africa soil in the 1969/70 season.
After the 72-run loss in the opening Test, the margin got bigger as the visitors handed the home side a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Images from Day 4 of the second Test between South Africa and India in Pretoria on Tuesday.
South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada bagged another five-wicket haul to take his Test match tally past 100 as his side wrapped up a comprehensive innings and 254-run victory over Bangladesh in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Dale Steyn became the second South African bowler to claim 400 Test wickets.
New Zealand completed their World Cup preparations with a 134-run victory over South Africa on Wednesday.
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