Nathan Lyon's wish to see the end of some England careers after another Ashes whitewash could easily come true if the tourists' struggling senior players fail to lift quickly, former Australia paceman Mitchell Johnson said.
Hashim Amla's blistering stroke-play and Morne Morkel's fearsome bowling put South Africa in control of the second Test against Australia as they closed the third day on 192 for four on Saturday.
Two-nil down and with a harried captain insisting his team was neither dead nor buried, there was an unnerving sense of deja vu at the WACA as England made their final preparations on the eve of the third Ashes Test on Wednesday.
Rediff.com has the best sports images from the events in the week gone by snapped right here...
All-rounders Ryan McLaren and Wayne Parnell were named in South Africa's 15-man squad on Wednesday for the three-match Test series against Australia starting on February 12.
Virat Kohli became only the third Indian to score a hundred on his captaincy debut as the visitors responded resolutely to Australia's mammoth first innings total by reaching 369 for five on the third day to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.
'I'm trying to learn Hindi now'
Joe Root again put Australia's bowlers to the sword and together with Ian Bell gave England the platform on Friday to push for victory in the first Ashes Test after setting the tourists 412 to win with two days remaining.
Kolkata Knight Riders will be aiming to exploit Sunrisers Hyderabad's recent run of poor form
Australian quick Pat Cummins has not played a first class match for two years but is confident his body will hold up to the rigours of Test cricket should he get the call during the Ashes series against England.
Australia's pace sensation Mitchell Johnson will reportedly compete with teammate David Warner as the country's most valuable Twenty20 player at next month's Indian Premier League player auction following a successful return to the elite ranks of international cricket.
Pakistan spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah took nine wickets in the second innings as the hosts beat Australia by 221 runs in the first Test on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
David Warner's third consecutive Test century could not stop Pakistan from taking control of the first Test against Australia on Friday after the tourists squandered a strong start and were all out for 303 in their first innings.
Tasmanian batsman Alex Doolan could be in line for a test debut pending the fitness of all-rounder Shane Watson after being named in Australia's 14-man squad for the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney.
High on confidence after one of their splendid run-chases across 10 editions, Mumbai Indians will like to continue their winning momentum against a resurgent Gujarat Lions in an Indian Premier League encounter, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Unbeaten on 72 after another dismal batting display by England on Saturday, Ian Bell said Australia's Mitchell Johnson held no fear for him.
Their bowling once again failed to live up to expectations while the fielding was also below-par as Royal Challengers Bangalore continued their poor run in IPL-11 with a six-wicket defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders in Bengaluru, on Sunday.
After their best-ever show at IPL 7, Kings XI Punjab will look to continue their aggressive brand of cricket when they start their campaign against Hobart Hurricanes in a Group B match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Mohali on Thursday.
West Indies have said they are embracing their underdog status for the three-Test series against Australia, which starts in Hobart on Thursday, but the reality is they have very little choice in the matter.
They are out of contention for a play-off berth but that won't stop them from spoiling another team's party, Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar said sending an alarm bell to Kolkata Knight Riders camp on the eve of their Indian Premier League encounter.
AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis struck sublime centuries as South Africa chased down a massive score to beat Australia by seven wickets in the second One-Day International of the triangular series on Wednesday.
Ambati Rayudu conceded that his side will have to play each game as a must-win.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik will face a big test when a struggling Kolkata Knight Riders lock horns with a resurgent Delhi Daredevils, led by double title winning former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir, in a much-anticipated IPL clash, in Kolkata, on Monday.
While Shaun Marsh gets another go at resurrecting his career
Ross Taylor scored the first double century by a New Zealander against Australia to drive the tourists to within 49 runs of the hosts' tally on 510 for six at the close of play on the third day of the second Test on Sunday.
Daredevils look to end losing streak against Kings XI.
Williamson's departure for 59 helped reduce New Zealand to 142 for three at the break -- 361 runs in arrears -- but a rain storm wiped out the final session and ensured the match would go into a fifth day.
He may have had to relinquish his captaincy and a place in the side during the World Cup, but Kings XI's George Bailey utilized his 'spare' time to prepare himself for the IPL.
Veteran Western Australian batsman Adam Voges in 17-man tour squad but give the cold shoulder to Glenn Maxwell.
Playing tennis-ball cricket in his formative years has helped him bowl his yorkers with good control, revealed Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Gujarat Lions opener Aaron Finch was all praise for his 'Champion' West Indies team-mate Dwayne Bravo, who he feels 'keeps getting better and better with age'.
Pakistan-born Fawad Ahmed is likely to make his full Australia debut over the next month after being named as the specialist spinner in the squad for six one-day and two Twenty20 internationals against England on Thursday.
Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped down the ladder to No 4 and 10 respectively, while Shikhar Dhawan retained the seventh rung in the latest Reliance ICC ODI batsmen's rankings, released on Monday.
"There are players who are in form and there is @imVkohli who wins you games again and again! Hats off you beauty."
Both Australia and South Africa, says former Australia captain Mark Taylor, have a lot of firepower in their bowling department. Besides, the two sides also have a lot of depth in their batting.
Shane Watson, who will retire post the World T20, has picked the one Test match suspension on the 2013 tour of India as one of the lowest moments in what has otherwise been an illustrious career.
Images from the World Cup Pool A match between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Having represented Pakistan in five cricket World Cup campaigns, legendary pacer Wasim Akram feels that it will be a challenge for sub-continent bowlers to perform in this edition of the 50-over showpiece event in Australian and New Zealand.
Leaders Bayern Munich eased past VfB Stuttgart 2-0 on Saturday to grab their first win of the year, as did Borussia Dortmund who beat Freiburg 3-0 to climb off the bottom of the Bundesliga table.
Steve Smith capped a remarkable season by sweeping the main awards at the annual Allan Border Medal ceremony
