Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has been appointed as a Specialist Mentor for the England men's white-ball teams, aiming to bolster their preparations for the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Walter, who took charge in March 2023, has played an instrumental role in South Africa's recent successes on the global stage.
Sticking to the basics and drawing from a larger talent pool, fighting for limited spots in the team has led to South Africa's resurgence across formats in the past couple years, according to pacer Anrich Nortje.
India A skipper Rishabh Pant will look to build on the gains from the first match, while the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav will aim for crucial red-ball game time in the second four-day match against a Temba Bavuma-led South Africa A in Bengaluru from Thursday.
Architect of South Africa's series-levelling win in the second ODI against India here, Aiden Markram says scoring runs matters only when the team wins and he felt responsible for the visitors' defeat in the first ODI by a small margin.
Heinrich Klaasen, 33, is one of the world's most destructive batters in white-ball cricket and a mainstay of the South African limited-overs side in recent years.
South Africa A humble India A by 73 runs to avoid series whitewash
Namibia pulled off a shock four-wicket win over South Africa in a one-off Twenty20 international on Saturday that marked the opening of the new cricket stadium in Windhoek.
The England women's cricket team was forced to shift its T20 World Cup preparatory camp to South Africa after it had to call off its plans to travel to Abu Dhabi due to security concerns owing to the ongoing conflict in the region, involving United States, Israel and Iran.
Aiden Markram and Mitchell Santner's individual performances could potentially decide the outcome of the T20 World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
The Proteas arrive high on confidence, having fought out a hard-earned 1-1 draw in Pakistan last month under challenging conditions.
New Zealand registered the highest successful run chase in women's one-day international history on Wednesday, beating South Africa by two wickets on the back of an outstanding unbeaten 179 from captain Amelia Kerr.
New Zealand vs Pakistan women's WC game abandoned due to rain, SA qualify for semis
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).
England Test captain Joe Root has expressed strong support for Kevin Pietersen's return to the national setup as a specialist mentor, emphasising that the current team environment is vastly different from the one Pietersen left in 2014.
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.
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.
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.
Shafali Verma smashed an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls against Bangladesh, becoming the first Indian woman to score an Asian Games century and strengthening her record-breaking 2026 T20I campaign.
Having forfeited that series, South Africa have yet to seal their place at the World Cup in October but will do so if Ireland fail to complete a clean-sweep of their three-match series against Bangladesh, which starts in Chelmsford next week.
Ashwin wants Bhuvneshwar Kumar in India's 2027 World Cup squad, saying the veteran seamer's swing bowling could be crucial in South African conditions.
Ishan Kishan's stunning 2026 has thrown him into India's 2027 ODI World Cup plans -- and Rishabh Pant could be the biggest casualty. With the selectors already looking ahead to South Africa, Kishan's red-hot form has turned the wicket-keeper debate on its head.
Shaheen Afridi also missed the last two Tests against England in October.
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has declared himself 'absolutely ready' for a potential recall to the Indian team, including for the World Cup, following spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin's endorsement for his return.
Virat Kohli, who debuted 18 years ago, has amassed over 28,000 international runs and 85 centuries, establishing himself as one of cricket's all-time greats with numerous unmatched records across all formats.
Former chief selector Ajit Agarkar's departure from the BCCI was primarily driven by disagreements over Rohit Sharma's future in white-ball cricket and policy differences with Centre of Excellence head VVS Laxman, culminating in his absence from a crucial review meeting.
Ryan ten Doeschate has resigned as India's men's assistant coach after the England white-ball series, reportedly to join IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. He was a key part of the coaching staff under Gautam Gambhir, contributing to India's white-ball successes but also witnessing Test struggles.
South African batting stalwart David Miller has expressed his strong desire to win the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa. He aims to finish his career on a high note by lifting the trophy in front of home fans. Miller also reflected on his career as a middle-order finisher and highlighted his most memorable innings.
This was the first time in the history of SA cricket a senior team had reached the final of a World Cup.
Steve Smith and fast bowler Mitchell Starc have been ruled out of the white-ball series in South Africa through injuries.
The 28-year-old, who was ruled out of Vijay Hazare Trophy because of a split webbing in his right hand, has been picked for touring India 'A' squad to South Africa.
The players were cheered by fans at the airport and obliged supporters with selfies.
Already, the knives are out for Gautam Gambhir because of his poor record as coach in Test matches, and a potential defeat in Sri Lanka could prove to be the killer blow.
Jacques Kallis remarked that the Proteas players should stick to their roles during the ICC Cricket World Cup in India
'We're going to play in a lot of different conditions over the next 12 months. It's going to require different efforts. It may not look like the traditional thing all the time.'
India have never looked so vulnerable in Test cricket in recent times. They need a complete reset of their approach to Test cricket, and perhaps a new coach with fresh ideas could revitalise Shubman Gill and his boys.
For 17 years, Mani Bhavan was Gandhi's Bombay home and nerve centre of the freedom movement.
Former Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane believes India's recent Test struggles stem from the departure of senior players, emphasising the need for a core of seven to eight experienced cricketers in the longer format.
Tilak Varma is emerging as India's potential middle-order backup, offering left-handed batting variety and developing off-spin as selectors seek younger, flexible options ahead of the ODI World Cup.
Afghanistan-Sri Lanka white-ball series likely to be postponed indefinitely as West Asia conflict deepens
