Icc Odi Championship

The skipper suffered the freak injury during Wednesday's first ODI that, inspired by centurion Avishka Fernando, the hosts won by 14 runs.

Bavuma was inadvertently struck from a fielder's throw-in during the 26th over at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium.

Persistent discomfort saw him retire hurt two overs later, with scans later revealing a fracture.

Bavuma will return to South Africa for further treatment, from which his recovery time will be determined.

Keshav Maharaj will deputise as captain for the second ODI of the three-match series on Saturday.

Despite reducing Australia from 129-2 to 188 all out, India looked in significant trouble at the Wankhede Stadium as their top order crumbled in reply.

They lost three wickets inside the first five overs and were 83-5 when Hardik Pandya fell to Marcus Stoinis.

But, on a pitch favourable to fast bowlers, Rahul (75 not out) and Jadeja (45 not out) masterfully guided India over the line to delight the Mumbai crowd.

It initially looked as if Mitchell Marsh might be the match-winner as he bludgeoned 81 off 65 balls for Australia, hitting 10 fours and five sixes.

However, after Jadeja drew a thick edge to end his innings, Australia never rediscovered their momentum, Mohammed Shami (3-17) ensuring their early platform was not built upon.

The swing of Mitchell Starc caused chaos as Australia sought to defend a disappointing total, Starc accounting for Virat Kohli (4), Suryakumar Yadav (0) and Shubman Gill (20).

Rahul counter-attacked with Hardik (25) for a stand of 44 but it was left-hander Jadeja who proved the perfect foil, their partnership one of supreme composure.

It was capped with a flourish, Jadeja getting India over the line with a pair of fours from an impressive but ultimately frustrated Starc as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Sensational Shami

The exit of Marsh provided an opening for the India attack, and it was one Shami made sure they took.

Dismissing both Cameron Green and Stoinis with length balls, he allowed just one four and a single six while bowling 30 dot balls from 66 deliveries, two of his six overs being maidens.

India end Mumbai misery

India had previously lost their last three men's ODI matches at the Wankhede, their longest run at the venue in the format.

That streak is now over, and India are a victory away from making it 14 wins in 15 multi-game bilateral men's ODI series at home.

Rashid took 12 wickets as England claimed a 3-0 Test series win on their last visit to Sri Lanka in 2018.

However, after enjoying a successful return to the ODI fold on Sunday, claiming 3-51 as England beat South Africa in Johannesburg to rescue a 1-1 series draw, the leg-spinner said he did not feel comfortable about taking a Test place at someone else's expense.

Rashid, whose most recent first-class appearance came more than a year ago, was previously brought back to England's Test team despite a lack of red-ball action but appears unwilling to benefit from a similar call again.

"That's something that I personally feel I've got to earn again," he said in a news conference.

"I've got to go back into maybe county cricket, get the performances under my belt and then get selected on merit. I think if the selectors do come up and ask, 'Are you available, can you play', for me that would be a straight no, I can't, because I feel as if I've got to deserve my place back in the team."

In an interview with Sky Sports, Rashid added: "I think it's a bit unfair for me to just say 'Yeah, I'm available'. At this moment in time, I'm really concentrating on white-ball cricket. Maybe in the future [I will return to Test cricket]."

England will play two Tests in Sri Lanka next month, but Rashid's focus is on the Twenty20 series that rounds off the tour of South Africa.

His man-of-the-match display in Johannesburg, in his 100th ODI, was hugely encouraging given he has been hampered by a long-standing shoulder problem.

"It's probably been a year now, my shoulder has not been quite right," Rashid told Sky Sports. "I took some time off after [the tour of] New Zealand, had a couple of months where I really did some hard rehab, got a lot better, and slowly, gradually, it's building on that.

"I'm still going to carry on doing the shoulder work and hopefully I can get that even stronger and better.

"Once you have that shoulder injury, that niggle, then you feel it, especially as a leg-spinner - you might struggle to get that extra zip, extra pace.

"I had a few injections during the World Cup, prior to the World Cup as well, and got through it somehow, but now it's that time where there's not much cricket being played, I can really nail down the gym [work] and really get it strong."

The tourists' pursuit of 257 started superbly with a 23-ball 43 from Jonny Bairstow and looked set to be completed with ease when Denly, who hit 87 in a losing cause in the first ODI, made 66 and shared in healthy partnerships with Joe Root (49) and Tom Banton (32).

However, having been 232-4 midway through the 37th over, England lost a flurry of wickets at the back end of their innings before Moeen Ali hit the winning runs with 40 balls to spare.

In the annual 'Pink ODI', Moeen and fellow recalled spinner Rashid had earlier impressed with the ball to limit South Africa to a modest total of 256-7.

Moeen, representing England for the first time since last year's Ashes, returned 1-42 from 10 economical overs, while Rashid was the pick of the attack with 3-51.

Home skipper Quinton de Kock and David Miller each made 69, the latter finishing unbeaten after some much-needed late acceleration, but South Africa's score appeared insufficient and that ultimately proved the case.

Bairstow looked in superb touch early on, the opener taking 20 off a Lungi Ngidi over and also dishing out heavy punishment to Beuran Hendricks in a brief innings that featured six fours and three maximums.

A series of tame dismissals, including Bairstow's exit at the hands of Lutho Sipamla, undermined England's progress but they were soon back on track as Denly and Root put on 76 for the fourth wicket.

Denly did receive a let-off on 23 when a leaping Ngidi tried to take a boundary catch off Andile Phehlukwayo and succeeded only in tipping the ball over the rope for six.

England's number five was otherwise assured, though, and he continued to prosper alongside Banton after the similarly impressive Root had been superbly caught at leg slip by Temba Bavuma off Tabraiz Shamsi.

It was therefore a surprise when wickets tumbled late on, but South Africa's fightback came too late in the day.

The hosts' innings featured a memorable moment for England debutant Saqib Mahmood, who bowled opener Reeza Hendricks for 11 with a wonderful delivery that clipped the off bail.

A bizarre controversy followed, with the UltraEdge technology unavailable due to a technical error when Bavuma (29) unsuccessfully reviewed an lbw verdict that had gone in favour of Rashid.

The malfunction meant South Africa retained their review, handing a surprise reprieve to Rassie van der Dussen, who initially walked off after being trapped in front by Rashid only to be stopped just inside the boundary rope before the decision was overturned.

Van der Dussen failed to capitalise, however, as he was bowled by Moeen in the next over. De Kock and Miller made healthy contributions - the latter finding his range at the death as Chris Jordan toiled - but it was not enough.

Richardson returned to the international mix for three Twenty20s in South Africa, where the third and final game will be played on Wednesday, though the paceman has been overlooked for the first two clashes.

However, Richardson could feature in the 50-over format following his selection in Australia's ODI team to face the Proteas, starting in Paarl on Saturday.

Richardson, 23, will remain in South Africa after Australia announced their 14-man squad for a three-game series against trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand from March 13-20.

"It has been a pretty tough road to get back, a few ups and downs, a few plateaus here and there. Just being here around everyone and this setup again is fantastic. Everyone is in a great frame of mind and extremely positive," said Richardson, who suffered a shoulder injury prior to last year's Cricket World Cup.

"I am absolutely ready to go. I feel I am bowling as well as I have for a long time. Hopefully there's an opportunity."

National selector Trevor Hohns added: "Jhye is performing exceptionally well, as we saw throughout the Big Bash. He has slotted back into the T20 squad in South Africa and is pushing for a place in that side.

"We are very fortunate to have such a deep pool of fast bowlers. Jhye has earned his place after the hard work he has done to get back into his best form after serious injury.

"Keeping him in South Africa with the one-day squad gives us another exceptional fast bowler who is ready to go."

Australia will face New Zealand in back-to-back ODIs at the SCG in Sydney on March 13 and 15 before hosting the Black Caps in Hobart on March 20.

Australia ODI squad to face New Zealand: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Key's appointment on Sunday. He replaces Andrew Strauss, who took on the role on an interim basis following Ashley Giles' departure in February.

Key will have responsibility for the men's national teams and the performance pathways that lead into them. Additionally, he will also play a key role in the upcoming High Performance Review.

He will be under pressure to engineer a turnaround in the performance of the men's Test team, which is without a head coach, selector or captain after skipper Joe Root stepped down on Friday.

England have won just one of their last 17 Tests, a 1-0 loss in their recent tour of the West Indies making it four successive series defeats. The cancelled fifth Test from India's tour of England last year will be played in July with the tourists holding a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Key played 21 times for England across all formats. He will relinquish his role at Sky Sports to take on the task of transforming England's red-ball fortunes.

"It is an absolute honour to take up this role," Key said in a statement. "The chance to have an impact and make a difference is an opportunity given to very few and I will give it everything I have to try shape the next great era of English men's cricket.

"I have absolutely loved my time at Sky and I could never have imagined leaving were it not for this incredible opportunity. I'd like to personally thank Bryan Henderson and everyone in the team for their help and support."

While the Test team continues to struggle, England will defend the Cricket World Cup they won for the first time in 2019 next year in India and will look to claim the T20 World Cup crown in Australia this year having lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2021 tournament.

"Although at this current moment it has been a challenging time in English cricket, I also think it's as exciting a time as I can remember," Key added.

"With two of our teams near or at the top of the world rankings and an undoubted amount of talent in our game, I hope to try and bring everyone along for the ride, so we can all help take English men's cricket to new heights across all formats."

England are back in action in June with a three-Test series against reigning world Test champions New Zealand, which will take place alongside a limited-overs tour of the Netherlands.

India then return to complete their Test series before facing England in a three-match T20 and ODI series, with South Africa then touring the country for series in all three formats.

Rohit was named skipper in December but only now, in the series opener in Ahmedabad, has he been able to lead his side due to a hamstring injury.

It was worth the wait, however, as India cruised to victory in their 1,000th ODI, aided by 60 runs from 51 balls from Rohit.

That knock, which included 10 fours and a six, set the tone for a straightforward chase after West Indies had been bowled out for 176.

Even that modest total required some heavy lifting from Jason Holder, whose 57 improved markedly on a woeful 7-79 start after the Windies skipper survived a scare.

Holder could have been the victim of a hat-trick ball from Yuzvendra Chahal (4-49), but his inside edge fell short of short leg.

Chahal's fellow spinner Washington Sundar – returning for his second ODI more than four years after his first – finished with 3-30 to help ensure a straightforward target for Rohit and Co.

An opening partnership of 84 with Ishan Kishan took any jeopardy out of the situation, as India comfortably made 178-4 in 28 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Holder reaches milestone in attempted rescue act...

A stunning spell from Chahal, whose four wickets took him to 103 in 60 ODIs (the fifth-fastest India bowler to 100), had West Indies in all sorts of trouble, but it also brought Holder out into the middle.

The captain led the way as the tourists belatedly showed some fight, making 57 to pass 2,000 ODI runs (2,011) and become the fifth West Indies player to reach that mark along with 100 wickets in this format. Holder has 141 ODI wickets but could not add to that tally.

But both innings belong to opposite number Rohit

There is little doubting Rohit's ability with the bat, and the opener's 60 took him past Sachin Tendulkar (1,573) onto 1,583 ODI runs against West Indies, with only Virat Kohli (now 2,243) scoring more for India.

The full-time captaincy role is a new one, however, and Rohit was just as impressive in that sense. Rewarded for putting his faith in the spinners, the skipper also had three successful reviews from three to account for Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran and Shamarh Brooks.

A 21-run Australia victory on Wednesday saw the tourists leapfrog India at the top of the 50-over rankings, with the series defeat India's first at home since 2019.

Suryakumar's display highlighted the hosts woes, facing just three balls over the course of the series without getting his bat to any of them.

He was trapped lbw by Mitchell Starc both in India's opening win and Australia's dominant subsequent response in the second match.

There was therefore immense pressure on Suryakumar ahead of the decider in Chennai, and he was bowled by Ashton Agar.

But the batter retained the support of skipper Rohit.

"He played only three balls in the series. I don't know how much you can look into it. He got three good balls," Rohit said after the match.

"Today [Wednesday] I didn't think it was that great a ball. He just chose the wrong shot. He should have, maybe, come forward. He knows best.

"He plays spin so well, which is why we wanted to hold him back and give him that role of last 15 to 20 overs.

"But it's really unfortunate that he could only play three balls in the series. That can happen to anyone. The potential, the quality is always there. He's just going through that phase right now."

That is the message from Joe Root, whose 86 at Durham on Tuesday was not enough to stop Buttler's team falling to a 62-run defeat against South Africa.

England lost back-to-back white-ball series against India before the defeat in the first of a three-match ODI series with South Africa following Buttler the appointment of Buttler as Eoin Morgan's successor. 

Buttler has also failed to deliver with the bat since taking the captaincy, passing 50 just once in his past seven innings - including three single-figure scores.

Though the wicketkeeper-batter has lost five of his first seven games in charge, Root has backed Buttler as England go through a transitional period following Morgan's retirement.

"I think for Jos and a number of the guys who've been around this setup for a couple of years, there's been a lot of change in a very short space of time," said the former Test captain.

"And that sometimes can just take a little bit of getting used to and there's not been that time yet where you can really sit and reflect and sort of work things out.

"So I think there has to be some sort of understanding towards that. But they are big figures that you mentioned, influential players, and that creates great opportunities for guys to step right up and really take hold of a few positions within the team and not just in terms of performance, but in filling those leadership voids as well.

"There are some very talented players, some great cricket minds that can go on and do some special things like Eoin has done and Ben [Stokes] has done as well for the last seven to 10 years."

The ODI retirement of Test captain Stokes, who has stepped away from 50-over internationals as he says playing in all three formats is "unst, gives Buttler another issue to contend with in his middle order.

While Stokes embodied the attacking and front-foot approach that Morgan's team embraced en route to winning the Cricket World Cup final in 2019, Root urged England to now adapt and evolve.

"I think as a team, you've always got to look to evolve," he added. "You always do. And I think we did that very well over a four-year period. 

"I don't think we just said 'right this is how we're going to do it for four years and we can't move away from that.'

"I think we grew and we evolved and developed and became good in different situations in different conditions around the world. We had to be if we were going to be consistent and take some of the best teams on in their own conditions.

"I think that's exactly as things will have to happen moving forward as well. I know Jos has got a great cricket mind, he understands this game brilliantly.

"He's going to be a great captain. And I don't think these results are a fair reflection of the way that he's going about his business as a leader.

"Sometimes it does take time for things to bed in. I don't think it will take that long with him. I just think that we haven't had a lot of the format. We've had a very busy schedule."

Khawaja and Marsh were among those to miss out on national contracts, with a 20-man list named by Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday.

Marsh, 36, last played for Australia in mid-2019, having featured in 38 Tests, 73 ODIs and 15 Twenty20s for the country.

But Hohns said Marsh's time playing for Australia was probably over.

"Shaun, you never say never, and I'll never say never of course, but I think Shaun, I think he's now 36 or 37, is probably past representing Australia," he told a video conference on Thursday.

"We've spoken to Shaun regularly over the last 12 months and he understands the situation. He's been a wonderful player in domestic cricket, he's played some very, very good innings for Australia in Test match cricket and he'll be sorely missed.

"But what is good is that he's continuing to play the game and as a senior player playing domestic cricket around Australia, he's got a big role to play and as I suggested it's great to see players like that continuing to play and put back to state cricket."

As for Khawaja, Hohns said leaving out the left-hander was the toughest decision.

The 33-year-old batsman has not played for Australia since being dropped during last year's Ashes series.

"Usman is one of the unlucky ones, there's no doubt," Hohns said. "As we know, Usman didn't play cricket for Australia last year at all in any format after being dropped from the Ashes series.

"If I'm looking at Test cricket, Usman's form in domestic Shield cricket didn't demand that he was chosen for Australia and I think that's pretty fair. One-day cricket, he didn't play for Australia despite being a very good performer in the Marsh Cup early in the season, but the area that he operates in, like a couple of our unlucky omissions, is up the top and we're pretty well looked after up there with [Aaron] Finch, [David] Warner, [Steve] Smith and now Marnus Labuschagne so it was a difficult time for him and then of course in T20 cricket he hasn't played for Australia for some time.

"Usman obviously received rankings in a couple of those forms of the game, but those rankings weren't sufficient enough to get him into the contract list in the end."

The 23-year-old has begun 2023 with 70, 21 and 116 against Sri Lanka, followed by 208, 40 not out and 112 against New Zealand.

Before the turn of the year, he had one century in 15 ODIs, but all of a sudden he has rattled off three in 10 days.

The difference has been a slight adjustment in focus, with Gill saying: "I don't think I've changed much of my approach when I'm batting out there. It's all about once you get the start, how often you can work those starts into big ones, and that's what I'm trying to learn.

"As soon as I get a start, [I look for] every opportunity that I get to be able to express myself and work all the starts I get into big ones.

"I think it's all about playing according to the situation, not looking at your runs, just looking at conditions and looking at the bowler, and how you can score against this particular bowler, just looking to score all the time."

Gill was speaking after his 78-ball 112 against New Zealand helped to pave the way for a 90-run victory and 3-0 series clean sweep.

It also took him to 360 runs for the series, matching the record for most runs by a batter in a men's three-match ODI series, and equalling the total of Pakistan's Babar Azam against West Indies in 2016.

"It feels nice, this was a really good wicket to bat on," Gill said.

India captain Rohit Sharma made 101 as both openers scorched to three figures in an India total of 385-9 at the Holkar Cricket Stadium.

Rohit paid tribute to his young batting partner for showing such strong form, saying it was a tribute to his attitude that he was performing so well.

Gill was player of the series, and Rohit said: "His approach is quite similar. He doesn't change too much and wants to come out and start afresh.

"As a young player just coming into the team, having that kind of attitude is so important, not to sit on your laurels. He could have taken it lightly but doesn't seem to be that way."

Speaking at the post-match presentation, as India went above England at the top of the ICC rankings, Rohit said his own century, his 30th in ODIs, was a cause for great satisfaction.

It was his first hundred in an ODI since January 2020.

"It means a lot. I've been batting well, and it's about going that extra mile," Rohit said.

"Today the wicket was good, and we knew we needed runs on the board, and it was important for me to carry on and bat for as long as possible."

After initially taking over on an interim basis late last year, Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirmed in April the former captain will be remaining in the role for a two-year period.

The 39-year-old - who scored 9,265 Test runs and a further 6,989 in ODI cricket - appointed Mark Boucher as head coach ahead of the home Test series against England, while another ex-international in Jacques Kallis joined as a batting consultant.

Nkwe is part of the staff as an assistant coach and feels Smith has already made a difference in the job, aided by his standing within the game.

"From a cricketing perspective, to have someone of his stature, you can almost see the confidence in general from a cricketing space, especially from the team," he told Stats Perform.

"He is an ex-player and an ex-captain who has a very good cricketing brain.

"It all happened very quickly in a short period of time. He was only initially in the position for three months and there was so much he needed to do. Understanding of systems, then at the same time try and help the Proteas and give as much support as possible to try to win and build the confidence of the public, so he had quite a lot on his plate I must say.

"Looking at the circumstances, I think he's done well. He's well aware of the circumstances and there is still a lot he needs to put in place from a system point of view.

"There's no doubt that will happen in the next couple of months and years, to ensure the foundation is as strong as it's ever been."

South Africa have struggled in all forms of the game, including failing to progress beyond the group stage of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, but Nkwe is confident Smith can help bring some much-needed stability, both on and off the field.

He added: "The fact that now we know we are dealing with someone for the next two years at least, we are able to strategically plan certain things and he will be accountable for that. Also, it will give us confidence in us being able to execute our plans properly.

"There are just so many things around his full-time appointment that, as a team, we know where we are going, what we need to do, and I look forward to not only the next two, but the next three years, because I signed until the 2023 World Cup.

"Even just in our meetings, his energy is felt and he's someone who has always has that presence. That's something that is very, very exciting and something we needed in South African cricket."

Smith was in blistering form in the first match on Friday as he scored Australia's third-fastest ODI century.

He replicated that remarkable performance to help the hosts post their best ODI score at the SCG, their second-highest overall on home soil, the hosts reaching 389-4.

Virat Kohli (89) led the way for India in their pursuit of a mammoth target, but the India captain's efforts proved in vain as the tourists fell 51 runs short.

David Warner and Aaron Finch laid the platform for Australia with an opening stand of 142, having combined for their team's highest opening stand of 156 in the opening game.

Skipper Finch was caught at extra cover for 60 before Warner was run out for 83 after making the ill-advised decision to push for a second that Shreyas Iyer punished.

But it was Smith (104) who again proved the talisman for Australia, racking up 14 fours and a pair of sixes in a destructive innings.

He and Marnus Labuschagne (70) put on 136 for the third wicket, though Smith was dismissed two deliveries after reaching three figures – edging Hardik Pandya to short third man.

Glenn Maxwell struck four fours and four sixes in his 29-ball 63 to push Australia towards a score India rarely had any hope of besting.

A groin injury suffered by Warner, who was sent to hospital for scans, was the primary setback for Australia as they defended their total.

Kohli and Iyer steadied the ship for India after they were reduced to 60-2 by putting on 93.

However, Iyer fell victim to a tremendous diving catch from Smith at midwicket. After a partnership of 72 with KL Rahul (76), Kohli was undone in similar fashion courtesy of a stunner from Moises Henriques.

India's lower-order faltered after Rahul was caught at short third man, leaving the tourists with nothing but pride to play for in Wednesday's third ODI.

Cricket South Africa on Tuesday announced Quinton de Kock had replaced Du Plessis as ODI captain ahead of the series against the world champions.

Du Plessis stated the fourth Test against England at the Wanderers, which starts on Friday, could be his last appearance in the longest format on home soil, revealing he may quit after facing West Indies in July and August.

The batsman had earlier outlined his desire to remain Proteas captain until the T20 World Cup in Australia in October, and Smith wants some clarity over Du Plessis' plans.

Interim South Africa director of cricket Smith said of the decision to appoint De Kock as ODI captain: "We see Faf playing a role as a player but from a leadership perspective, we felt the need to move on.

"Faf doesn't see himself being around in 2023. Leadership has been an issue of late in South African cricket and we have made the decision to give Quinny an opportunity.

"We feel tactically he is good, there are areas of his leadership that we all know we need to grow and develop but he is the right guy at this stage to take the one-day side forward."

The former Proteas skipper added: "With the World Cup around the corner, we need to go forward.

"At the moment Faf is in that position but I need to sit with him post this Test series. He has got a bit of time because he is being rested from the one-day series, so we will have some time to have a robust discussion on his future.

"He is the South African Test captain. The next Test match we play after this series will be in the Caribbean - there is an extensive amount of time. I need to understand how he sees his future in the game."

The opening match in the three-game series was postponed on Friday after a positive test for COVID-19 in the South Africa camp.

It was rescheduled for Sunday but the game in Paarl was cancelled 30 minutes before the scheduled morning start time, and it emerged there had been two "unconfirmed" positives within the touring England party.

There had been hopes the series could start on Monday, but that will not be happening, and it remains to be seen if it can start at all.

The final two matches of the series had been due to be held in Cape Town on Monday and Wednesday. England are scheduled to fly home on Thursday.

Players and team management have been self-isolating in their hotel rooms.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday evening, CSA and the ECB said: "The second one-day international between South Africa and England, which is due to take place at Newlands, Cape Town, will now not take place on Monday 7 December.

"The decision has been taken by Cricket South Africa [CSA] and the England and Wales Cricket Board [ECB] whilst they await the outcome of the independent ratification of the two unconfirmed positive COVID-19 tests from the England camp and the continued health and wellbeing of both playing groups.

"Once the findings of this review have been received, CSA and ECB will then discuss how best to proceed concerning the remaining two matches of this ODI series."

England won the three-match T20 series between the sides 3-0.

Babar Azam's century propelled Pakistan to a dramatic three-wicket win in the first match on Friday, but they fell short of winning the series at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium after some significant contributions at the top of the order from the hosts. 

Captain Temba Bavuma was in supreme form, hitting a wonderful 92, while Quinton de Kock (80) and David Miller (50 off 27 balls) helped South Africa to 341. 

Zaman's 155-ball 193 was the highest score in a chase in ODI history, although it was not enough to help his side to an improbable victory. 

Aiden Markram set the tone for South Africa's innings with an impressive 39, ultimately falling to a Faheem Ashraf delivery.

De Kock and Bavuma anchored South Africa, putting up a 114-run partnership for the second wicket, the former bowled by Haris Rauf 20 runs shy of his century. 

Rassie van der Dussen plundered 60 off 37 balls to put the hosts in a strong position, before Bavuma was caught by Azam from Rauf's bowling for 92. 

Miller then gave South Africa's total an even healthier look with a half-century.

Pakistan suffered an early blow in the chase when Imam-ul-Haq was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi in the second over, while Anrich Nortje took three quick wickets. 

The visitors' hopes of an unlikely win looked in tatters, but Zaman gave them hope with a record-breaking innings. 

His spellbinding 193 surpassed Herchelle Gibbs' 175 as the highest individual score at the Imperial Wanderers Stadium, and was the second highest ever in a losing ODI cause.

Zaman fell in the penultimate over when he was run out by Markram after De Kock had cheekily encouraged him to think the ball was going to the other end.

De Kock suffered the injury in the 2nd ODI on Sunday while attempting to catch a ball off of an edge from England batsman Harry Brook.

The Proteas' wicketkeeper was cleared to bat in the second innings after a scan revealed no fracture and made 31 as a superb Temba Bavuma century saw his side chase down 342 to win by five wickets.

However, Cricket South Africa (CSA) decided De Kock will not be risked in the third ODI with Heinrich Klaasen his replacement.

South Africa are aiming for a series sweep after winning the first two matches in Bloemfontein and made three changes for the final ODI, with Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj also missing out. 

Should they win the final game today, South Africa would boost their chances of automatically qualifying for the World Cup in India later this year with a defeat meaning they may have to go through the qualifiers in Zimbabwe.

Paceman Rabada suffered the injury during the Twenty20 series with Australia, which concluded on Wednesday at Newlands in Cape Town, and underwent an MRI scan to assess the extent of the problem.

The 24-year-old will be sidelined for a month, according to a statement released by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on the eve of the first ODI in Paarl.

After hosting Australia, the Proteas travel to India for three 50-over fixtures, starting in Dharamsala on March 12.

"The significant injury means that he will take approximately four weeks to heal, which effectively rules him out of both the Australia and India ODI series," said Dr Shuaib Manjra, CSA's chief medical officer.

"The CSA medical staff will ensure his effective and expeditious recovery."

Rabada was rested for the limited-overs games against England earlier this year but returned to face Australia, picking up two wickets in his three appearances as the tourists won the T20 series by a 2-1 scoreline.

The 27-year-old fast bowler has been building up form and fitness by playing for MI Cape Town in the SA20 series, having played no international cricket since March 2021 due to injury.

Major elbow and back problems put Archer's blossoming career on hold, but he is back now.

Although Archer is only around 80 per cent of the way through his recovery, by his own estimation, all that is lacking is "fine-tuning", he said this week.

This is music to the ears of captain Jos Buttler, who said on Thursday: "It's great to have Jofra back, fit and playing cricket again. He's such an exciting guy to have back on the field. As an England captain, to have him back in your squad and in your team is brilliant.

"He's only just coming back to competitive cricket, this will be his first international game for a long time, so there's always going to be a level of expectation on Jofra because we all know what he's capable of. But I'm sure he's just going to get better and better as he comes back and gets back to performing at such a high level."

Buttler says Archer may need "a little bit of time" to fully return to where he was before injuries began to take their toll.

But at the start of a World Cup year, with England preparing to defend their 50-over title in India in October and November, Buttler said: "It's just fantastic to see him fit and back playing again."

Ahead of the opening match in Bloemfontein, England know a 3-0 series win would see them jump back above India to the top of the ODI rankings.

Former skipper Kevin Pietersen made an appearance at the team's training session on Thursday, with England looking to get back to winning ways after failing to win any of their last three ODI series, losing to Australia and India and drawing at home against South Africa.

The Proteas continue to be led by Temba Bavuma, and this series could be a key one in terms of his future as white-ball captain.

A shock defeat to the Netherlands knocked South Africa out of the T20 World Cup in November, with Bavuma signalling he will concur with whatever decision is made about the team's future leadership.

Rob Walter is due to take over as coach of the ODI side from the start of February, with Shukri Conrad overseeing this series.

"If the team wants to go in a different direction with a different leader, I am happy to step away," Bavuma said. "Ultimately it's up to the coach. We have got a new coach now and might be a new coaching staff.

"The coach will have his vision and he will need someone to drive that vision. At the moment the coach has entrusted me with that role, so I will continue doing my best. I'm fortunate I have got a bunch of guys that support me. For me, it's business as usual for now."

Milestone in sight for Roy

England batter Jason Roy is seven away from reaching 4,000 runs in ODIs. If he reaches the milestone in his first match of this series, his 105th innings, it would make him the second-fastest player to achieve it for England, Joe Root got there quicker than anyone, in just 91 innings.

Parnell on brink of century

Wayne Parnell, set to win a 70th ODI cap, will be hoping to complete 100 scalps in the 50-over international game during this series. He is on 97 at present and can become the 13th player to reach 100 wickets in the format for the Proteas. He has taken three or more wickets in three ODIs against England, including his career-best figures of 3-48, all the way back in November 2009.

The Proteas wrapped up a convincing 2-0 Test series win against West Indies earlier in the month, having beaten world champions England 2-1 in an ODI series before that.

While Shukri Conrad has already taken charge of the Test side, this latest series will be the first for new white-ball coach Rob Walter having completed his term with New Zealand's Central Stags. 

Walter will be without important players, however, after Keshav Maharaj ruptured his left Achilles in the Test series. Wiaan Mulder is also unavailable with a left side strain, with Tabraiz Shamsi and Wayne Parnell replacing the pair.  

South Africa will be favourites given their form, but all-rounder Bjorn Fortuin is certain his side will take nothing for granted when they face off in the first ODI against West Indies since the 2019 World Cup. 

"We are going to need to be at our best in all three aspects of the game to beat them, and that's what we are working towards," Fortuin said. 

"They are a dangerous side on all fronts, whether with the ball or bat. We know they are supreme athletes on the field. 

"The boys are coming off a successful Test series, and we will be looking to build on that and build some momentum."

West Indies have also made leadership changes prior to the series, with Shai Hope taking over the captaincy from Nicholas Pooran.  

Pooran remains in the side and will look to form a key part of the middle order alongside Roston Chase and Shamarh Brook. 

Interim coach Andre Coley's side have won just one of their last eight ODIs and have brought in former leg-spinner Samuel Badree to serve as assistant coach as they look to improve before the World Cup in October. 

De Kock chasing milestone

Quinton de Kock may no longer play Test cricket, but the wicketkeeper's supreme batting talents are still a vital cog in South Africa's limited-over successes. 

The 30-year-old has played 137 ODIs and is just 99 runs away from becoming the seventh men's player to score 6,000 runs for South Africa in the format.

If he reaches the milestone in his first match of the series, De Kock will become the third-fastest player overall to that mark in the history of ODIs, behind only Hashim Amla and Virat Kohli. 

West Indies' ambitions rest on Hope  

New skipper Hope has been a bright spark in an otherwise drab period for West Indies in ODI cricket.  

The Windies will be relying on his top-order exploits as they look to turn around their form, with his average of 49 in men's ODIs the best of any batsman to play at least six innings for West Indies.