It's worse than a nightmare but letting the youngsters in the team wallow in self-pity is the last thing skipper Faf du Plessis would want ahead of their crucial game against world No 2 India.
Afghanistan registered a thumping 202 runs victory over New Zealand to move into the Super League semi-finals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Christchurch on Thursday.
Former South Africa captain Clive Rice rates the India bowling attack higher than South Africa's and said the home bowlers would struggle to take 20 wickets against a batting line-up, which boasts of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag, in the Test series starting next week.
England's James Anderson has displaced India's Zaheer Khan to claim third place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers.
South Africa will head to India armed with three frontline slow bowlers in their Test squad after recalling leg-spinner Imran Tahir and off-break bowler Dane Piedt for the four-match series starting in November.
After a week of action at the Cricket World Cup, with each team now playing at least one match, here's an analysis of how the main contenders are shaping up.
South Africa pacer Dale Steyn said the nerve-wrecking tied match between India and England highlighted the importance of fielding, which the Proteas will focus on in their World Cup matches. A total of 676 runs were scored in the thrilling match and Steyn said despite the mammoth scores, all that mattered in the end was just one run.
Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from Day 5:
For Africa's Test-playing nations, administrative turmoil has defined the dying days of the 2010s.
Buttler departed after an angry exchange with Ashwin and his exit condemned the Royals to a 14-run defeat in their IPL opener in Jaipur.
Top India batsman Virat Kohli has maintained his second position in the latest ICC batsmen rankings while medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has moved up a place to be seventh in the bowlers' standings.
He's been one of the most consistent players in the last six months, and even towered above other Indian batsmen in the recently-concluded series in South Africa. While India's leading batsmen struggled to cope with the pace and bounce of Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, Virat Kohli was rock-solid and unyielding.
Delhi Daredevils paid the price for shoddy batting as they virtually crashed out of the IPL losing to Sunrisers by eight wickets via D/L method in an encounter interrupted by intermittent showers.
Yusuf Pathan's blistering century proved in vain for India as South Africa won the fifth and decisive one-day international by 33 runs on Sunday to take the series 3-2.
After entering the Champions League Twenty20 final, Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised Suresh Raina for his breezy unbeaten 48-ball 94 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in semi-final.
India need a record-breaking 340 to beat South Africa in the third and final Test in Cape Town on Thursday. Instances of 300-plus targets chased down in a single day even on flattest of tracks are rare. Attaining that against the fiery South African pace attack, led by Dale Steyn, on a fifth day's Newlands pitch will be nothing short of a miracle.
He bowled one of the most hostile spell of fast bowling one had witnessed this season but Dale Steyn feels that when Sachin Tendulkar is in his element, it is better to focus on trying to get other batsmen out.
India need to carefully groom replacements for their batting 'fab four' after suffering a crushing innings defeat by South Africa on Tuesday, former captain and chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar said.
Indian middle-order batsman Rahul Dravid on Monday achieved a rare milestone in his career when he took his 200th catch in Test matches to stay on top of the list in the five-day format of the game.
South African pacer Dale Steyn said his urge to bowl an additional over after each dry spell paid rich dividends as he returned with a four-wicket haul on the opening day of the second Test in Durban.
An inspired spell by speedster Dale Steyn helped by some poor shot selection from Indian top-order saw visitors reeling at 183 for six when stumps were drawn on a rain-curtailed first day of the second Test match at Kingsmead, Durban on Sunday.
Dale Steyn claimed four wickets to put South Africa in control against India before bad light stopped play, on a rain-hit opening day of the second Test at Kingsmead in Durban, on Sunday.
India were dismissed for 459 in 128.1 overs in their second innings on day five after lastman Jaidev Unadkat was caught at gully off Dale Steyn for one. The Indian innings lasted just 30 minutes and 35 deliveries on the final day, for the addition of just five runs, and the loss of two wickets.
India's master batsman Sachin Tendulkar became the first player ever in the history of Test cricket to hit 50 centuries during day four of the first Test match against South Africa at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.
A look at Sachin Tendulkar's 50 centuries in Test cricket.
The opener says in the second innings things have changed drastically and the wicket is good for batting.
Rahul Dravid on Wednesday overtook former West Indian captain Brain Lara as the third highest run-getter in the history of Test cricket when he reached 11 in the first of the three-match series against South Africa in Centurion.
South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel said on Tuesday the contest between the home side's fast bowlers and India opener Virender Sehwag would be the key contest in the forthcoming three-Test series.
England's James Anderson is the first fast bowler to take 600 Test wickets.
Seamer Duanne Olivier completed an 11-wicket match haul as South Africa roared back into contention in the first Test
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians in Bangalore on Saturday.
Unheralded teenagers Prabh Simran Singh and Prayas Ray Barman attracted astonishing bids during the IPL Players' Auction on a day when superstar Dale Steyn went unsold and once a hot-property Yuvraj Singh went for his base price.
South Africa's status as the top-ranked Test-playing nation has been dented after their crushing defeat in India last month and is in danger of being eroded completely by England over the next month or two.
The Indian cricket team and its premier spinner Ravichandran Ashwin held on to their numero uno status in the latest ICC Test rankings for teams and bowlers respectively.
South African paceman Dale Steyn is to be investigated by match referee Jeff Crowe for allegedly spitting in the direction of West Indies spinner Sulieman Benn during the third and final Test in Bridgetown, Barbados.
For the Proteas, the emphasis is on all 15 players instead of 11.
Dale Steyn became the second South African bowler to join the 400 club as his team took five wickets in the final session to reduce Bangladesh to 246 for eight on the first day of the second Test in Mirpur on Thursday.
The paceman had injury problems in the recent ICC Champions Trophy in England, forcing him to miss the semi-final defeat by the hosts, and that has weighed heavily on the minds of the selectors with Test series coming up against Pakistan, India and Australia.
Eden Gardens pitch curator Prabir Mukherjee on Wednesday denied reports of being under pressure from the BCCI to prepare a turning track to help India level the two-match Test series against South Africa in Kolkata.
It will not be the first time that the competition has had to be held outside India.
