South Africa's top-order may not have fired but skipper Graeme Smith is happy that the middle-order made up for it in the Proteas' comprehensive win over Ireland that sealed their quarter-final spot in the ongoing World Cup in Kolkata.
England's James Anderson has displaced India's Zaheer Khan to claim third place in the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers.
Spinner Graeme Swann enjoyed befuddling Australia's batsmen on Tuesday to help England post their first away Ashes victory in seven years, but found his captain proved far more difficult to penetrate.
South Africa seem to possess just too many weapons for Tuesday's Group B match against an Irish team which look exhausted after pulling off the first upset of the World Cup.
Cricket greats Rahul Dravid, Michael Atherton and Graeme Smith are looking forward to the ICC U-19 World Cup, saying the tournament gives the young players the chance to test themselves against the best in their age group. The 11th edition of the tournament will be played across four cities in Bangladesh from January 27 to February 14 and features nine Test-playing nations and seven Associate and Affiliate Members - Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, Ireland and Scotland. Dravid, a veteran of 164 Tests and 344 one-day internationals with more than 10,000 runs in both forms, lauded the tournament even though he himself never participated in one. He was 15 when the inaugural event was held in 1988 and had already become a Test cricketer when it was next played in 1998. "It is a great opportunity for young players to be able to get exposure to the demands of international cricket," said Dravid, who will coach the India Colts side at the tournament.
With two comprehensive victories under their belt, South Africa have already stamped their authority in this World Cup. But captain Graeme Smith made it clear that it is just the beginning of a long tournament and they have adopted the policy of taking 'one game at a time'.
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.
England have swept the Test series 4-0 and won the lone Twenty20 too, but off-spinner Graeme Swann feels the upcoming five-match ODI series starting on Saturday would be a great test for the hosts.
AB de Villiers posted South Africa's highest individual score to give them firm control of the second Test on the second day against Pakistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Sunday.
Indian opener Virender Sehwag was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year for the second time in a row.
Former Cricket South Africa president Ray Mali says ex-coach Mickey Arthur's claims that retiring pacer Makhaya Ntini used the race card after being dropped from the side are lies.
South African cricketer Makhaya Ntini played the race card when things did not go his way, disclosed former team coach Mickey Arthur in his to be released book.
Rival captains Graeme Smith and Elton Chigumbura termed the wicket at the Chepauk as 'under-prepared' and hoped that the wickets will be better prepared in time for the World Cup.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith paid tribute to Makhaya Ntini after the fast bowler announced his retirement from international cricket on Tuesday.
Mindful of the chokers tag that has sat on them since their 1992 World Cup appearance, South Africa head off to the sub-continent for the quadrennial mega event starting later this month, with captain Graeme Smith confident of his side possessing a stronger mental frame than ever before to aim for its maiden title.
Off-spinner Graeme Swann says that getting the number one spot won't be enough for England, at least for the current group of players.
Injured England off-spinner Graeme Swann revealed that he has battled for long with the back problem that put him out of the One-Day series against Australia, but insisted he will be fit for the upcoming World Cup in the subcontinent.
England have ruled batsman Kevin Pietersen out of the three-match one day series against Bangladesh starting on Thursday after he picked up a thigh injury against Australia at Lord's.
South African captain Graeme Smith has said that winning the ODI series against India was all the more commendable as they had fought back from 1-2 down and this victory would be a morale booster for next month's World Cup.
Images from the 4th ODI between India and South Africa played in Port Elizabeth on Friday.
Indian origin spinner Arjun Nair has been named in Cricket Australia's 18-member National Performance Squad for the upcoming Quadrangular Winter 'A' Series, which will also feature India 'A', Australia 'A' and South Africa 'A', starting August 13.
England off-spinner Graeme Swann will be out with a bruised left knee for up to two weeks, the team's coach Andy Flower said.
CCTV footage from the players' tunnel at Kingsmead showed Australia vice-captain David Warner and South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock involved in a fiery exchange as players climbed the stairwell to their dressing rooms during the tea break.
South Africa's wrecker-in-chief in the 135-run win over India, medium pacer Lonwabo Tsotsobe, is on a high as one among his four victims was Sachin Tendulkar but he prefers not to talk about it as he does not want to "anger" the batting icon.
South Africa and India lock horns in a five-match one-day series starting on Wednesday which should help finalise their World Cup squads.
England are the current World Twenty20 champions, but their success in the mega-event last year was not reflected at the 2011 Indian Premier League Players's two-day auction, that concluded in Bangalore, on Sunday.
India captain Virat Kohli chalked up his seventh double hundred in Tests before his pacers claimed a few early wickets to leave South Africa reeling, on Day 2, of the second Test against South Africa at Pune.
On a high after drawing a Test series on African soil for the first time, India have been left to deal with a couple of injury setbacks as they take on South Africa, sans Test skipper Graeme Smith, in the only Twenty20 International match of the tour in Durban on Sunday.
England's chief cricket selector Geoff Miller has fired a fierce Ashes broadside at the Aussies by claiming that their batsmen are running scared and fear his three-pronged giant fast-bowling attack and the world's No.1 spinner Graeme Swann.
Harbhajan Singh claimed two wickets to help India end on a high against South Africa, on Day 3 of the third and final Test at Newlands, in Cape Town, on Tuesday.
South African captain Graeme Smith urged his batsmen to pull up their socks ahead of the crucial third and final Test match against India, which will start at the Newlands, in Cape Town on Sunday.
When South African Hashim Amla vies with India's Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Graeme Swann of England for the ICC Cricketer of the Year Award in Bengaluru on October 6, he would complete a full circle in the land from where his forebears came.
Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag of India, Hashim Amla of South Africa and England's Graeme Swann have all been short-listed for the top honour at the LG ICC Awards 2010, it was announced on Monday.
Upset after losing the second Test match by 87 runs, South African captain Graeme Smith expressed his displeasure about the non-usage of Umpires' Decision Review System(UDRS) as two of his key batsmen --- AB de Villiers and Mark Boucher got out to debatable leg before decisions.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith has found his 'lucky Test cap', which he wore for 89 matches, within days of it being allegedly stolen while he was on his way to Durban from Cape town.
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hasn't been lucky with the coin of late and there are times when the spin of the coin does have a telling impact on the match.
South African captain Graeme Smith is delighted that the Kingsmead track in Durban, known for its bounce and carry, is the best he had seen for some years, which should help his fast bowlers against Indian batsmen in the second Test starting on Sunday.
South African captain Graeme Smith warned the visiting Indian team to find a way to tame Hashim Amla or forget the chance of levelling the three-Test series in the second game starting in Durban on Sunday.
'Don't forget this is a fight between the top two teams in Test cricket. India will come out fighting, especially in the batting department,' said South Africa skipper Graeme Smith on the eve of the Durban Test.
