Cairns had surgery in Canberra after a "major medical event" earlier this month but was transferred to St Vincent's in Sydney for another cardiovascular operation.
The 51-year-old was reported by the New Zealand media to have suffered an aortic dissection – a tear in the body's main artery.
Cairns' lawyer, Aaron Lloyd, confirmed he has regained consciousness and has been able to interact with his family including his wife Melanie.
"I'm pleased to advise that Chris is off life support and has been able to communicate with his family from a hospital in Sydney," Lloyd said in a statement.
"He and his family are thankful for all of the support and well wishes from everyone, and for the privacy they have been afforded.
"They request that this continues as they focus on his recovery moving forward."
Cairns played 62 Tests, 215 ODIs and two Twenty20 games for the Black Caps between 1989 and 2006.
His father Lance also played cricket for New Zealand.
The England batter has not played since last August due to the freak accident he suffered during a round of golf.
Bairstow slipped at the side of a green six months ago, breaking his leg in three places and suffering a dislocated ankle.
The 33-year-old is building up his fitness ahead of a big home summer for England, including Australia's visit for the Ashes, but he will play no part in the IPL.
Punjab have signed Australian Matthew Short as a replacement for Bairstow.
The Kings stated on Saturday: "We regret to inform you that Jonny Bairstow will not be a part of the IPL this season because of his injury. We wish him the best and look forward to seeing him next season."
Punjab face Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match of the tournament next Saturday.
Richardson aggravated the injury during a training session in Melbourne before Australia fly out to Lahore.
A Cricket Australia statement said: "Although the injury is considered minor it was decided the long trip to Pakistan along with four games in eight days and short turnarounds [that] it was in Richardson's best interests to remain home."
Left-arm seamer Dwarshuis, 27, will be hoping to make his international debut in the absence of Richardson.
Test captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been rested for the white-ball contests with Pakistan.
The three-match ODI series starts in Lahore next Tuesday, with a T20 international to come on April 5.
Opener Rizwan was the leading run scorer with 197 when these teams met for a three-match series in Pakistan earlier this year, and his outstanding 74 not out suggested he will again have a big role to play across four games in South Africa.
It was a much-needed contribution after the Proteas - missing a host of stars, including new captain Temba Bavuma - scored a competitive 188-6 at the Wanderers.
Stand-in skipper Heinrich Klaasen won the toss and elected to bat, and he was stationed at the other end of the wicket as Aiden Markram claimed a first T20I fifty.
Markram swiftly departed for 51, but Klaasen (50) followed him to the half-century mark before Pakistan belatedly slowed their hosts a little.
In reply, neither captain Babar Azam (14), caught by debutant Lizaad Williams, nor Fakhar Zaman (27) could provide Rizwan with a steady partner.
Tabraiz Shamsi (2-29) accounted for both Fakhar and Mohammad Hafeez (13), playing his 100th match in this format, before Beuran Hendricks (3-32) took two wickets in two deliveries, including Haider Ali after 14 off eight.
That pace was surpassed by Faheem Ashraf (30 off 14), though, and a partnership of 48 with Rizwan had Pakistan needing 11 from the final over.
Williams (1-39) was handed the ball and had opportunities either side of the dismissal of Faheem, but dismal fielding throughout fittingly concluded the chase - Pakistan's highest in T20Is - with a delivery to spare courtesy of an overthrow.
Klaasen steps up but fielders fail
Bavuma added to a long list of absentees, but South Africa's performance with the bat offered few excuses and Klaasen, captain for a fourth time, contributed handily.
A target of 189, boosted by the skipper's 50 off 28, should really have been beyond Pakistan, too.
However, Williams - the most prominent of three home debutants - was denied victory in frantic fashion, Faheem dropped before he was bowled and next man in Hasan Ali also escaping prior to the decisive final error.
Pakistan reliant on Rizwan once more
Pakistan named an array of batting talent at the top of the order, with skipper Babar opening and Fakhar given his T20 chance at number three following exceptional ODI form.
But it was Rizwan, Babar's opening partner, who again came to the fore in this format after his team-mates departed.
Rizwan had 81 more runs than any other batsman in the series earlier this year and is set to play a pivotal role again, although he will hope for more help from Babar in particular over the next three matches.
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.
India captain Rohit hit back at former Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq after questioning how Rahul Dravid's side found swing in their Super 8s meeting with Australia.
Inzamam had referenced Arshdeep Singh's ability to move the white ball in the 15th over against Australia, suggesting "some serious work was done on the ball".
Speaking at Wednesday's pre-match press conference, Rohit responded: "Wickets are so dry, all teams are getting reverse [swing].
"[You] need to open your mind sometimes. This is not Australia."
After launching a staunch defence of his India team-mates, Rohit urged his side to play the team and not the situation against England.
England thrashed India by 10 wickets in the 2022 World Cup semi-finals of the same competition the last time this pair met.
"We want to treat this as a normal game," Rohit added. "We don't want to be talking about that it is a semi-final.
"We are enjoying each other's company and we need to carry on. It is a knockout game. If you think too much [about it], it doesn't help.
"Honestly not a lot has changed since 2022. We have tried to play with a free mind, T20 and ODIs as well. It all depends on the conditions which have been challenging throughout the tournament here.
"We want to be a smart cricket team. I have kept things simple personally and for the players as well. We have done well with role clarity and rely on the players making good decisions on the field.
"Everyone knows they need to get the job done. We don't need to change from 2022 to 2024."
As for India's line-up, and the potential of fielding four spin bowlers, Rohit insists the pitch will dictate selection matters.
"We will see, assess the conditions and then take a call on four spinners," he continued. "We will see."
Regardless of that decision, Rohit urged his side to keep their cool when it matters.
"It is important to stay cool and calm," the opening batter said. "Staying calm has worked for me over the years. Sometimes you can lose your cool as well.
"I am happy to let you do what you want but if it is at the cost of the team then I wo'’t let it happen. Indian cricket teams are always under pressure. Most of the guys are used to it."
The Blacks Caps looked primed to make it 2-1 with two matches to play after they were set 180 to win in Hamilton on Wednesday courtesy of Kane Williamson's highest T20I score.
New Zealand needed just three to win off five balls in the last of their 20 regulation overs after Ross Taylor hit Mohammed Shami for six, but Williamson fell for a magnificent 95 two balls later.
There was more much more drama to come, with Taylor bowled off the last ball to leave the scores level with the hosts 179-6.
Williamson and Martin Guptill posted 17 off the extra over from Jasprit Bumrah and it appeared that would be enough with Rohit – who earlier top scored with 65 in India's 179-5 – needing 10 off two deliveries from Tim Southee, but the opener hammered the paceman for two sixes in a pulsating finale.
The stunning victory sealed India's first T20 series win in New Zealand, with Williamson and his side left shell-shocked again six months after a Super Over loss to England in the Cricket World Cup final, with the same opponents beating by the same method in November.
Williamson must have been fearing the worst when India were 69 without loss after the powerplay, Rohit clubbing three sixes in a sixth over from Hamish Bennett (3-54) that went for 27.
Colin de Grandhomme ended an opening stand of 89 when he had the in-form KL Rahul (27) taken by Colin Munro at point and the powerful Rohit was caught by Southee at long-on attempting to launch Bennett for another six.
Virat Kohli (38) became the expensive Bennett's third victim before Manish Pandey and Ravindra Jadeja dispatched slower balls from Southee for six in a final over that cost 18 runs.
Martin Guptill blasted the second ball of the run chase from Shardul Thakur (2-21) beyond the rope, but the fast bowler sent the opener packing for 31 after he had struck another two sixes.
Munro and Mitchell Santner missed out, but Williamson raced to a 28-ball half-century before punching Jadeja for back-to-back sixes with exquisite timing.
The skipper also set about Bumrah after de Grandhomme fell to Thakur, but he was unable to see New Zealand home, edging behind to end a stunning 48-ball masterclass that included six sixes.
New Zealand must have felt a sense of deja vu when Taylor was cleaned up by Shami (2-32) to extend the match and Rohit proved to be the Super Over hero on this occasion as Southee was given the treatment.
Rahul Dravid's white-ball side progressed through the group stages with a game to spare after Wednesday's seven-wicket victory over the co-hosts in New York.
Having already overcome struggling Ireland and fierce rivals Pakistan, a third straight win in Group A was enough to send India through as Rohit's team prepare for the latter stages of the tournament.
Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten half-century proved the difference against the USA, helping his country chase down a 111-run target with 10 balls remaining.
It could have been a different story, however, as India lost Rohit (three) and Virat Kohli to a golden duck in the start to their chase.
That stark warning left a lasting imprint on Rohit's memory as the India captain credited the battling USA showing.
"We knew it was going to be a tough task, scoring that many," Rohit said at his post-match interview. "Credit to us for chasing it down.
"SKY and [Shivam] Dube did well in the end. We knew our bowlers had to take the lead as scoring is tough on this pitch.
"Arshdeep [Singh] started off magnificently. We want options with us. As and when we feel like we could use them, we should be and that's what Dube allowed.
"Being in the Super 8s is a big relief. Playing here wasn't easy, it could've been anyone's game."
USA still have a chance of progressing to the next round after back-to-back victories over Canada and Pakistan.
"The boys were disciplined today, pleased that the game got close," USA captain Aaron Jones said. "We've wanted fans, talked about it for a couple of years.
"We'll come hard against Ireland for sure."
India's captain was rested for the 3-0 one-day international whitewash of the Windies, but will be back in action at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy,
Shikhar Dhawan skippered the tourists as his fellow opener was given a rest for the 50-over contests.
Rohit will expect India to maintain their momentum when the series gets under way in Tarouba, Trinidad, with the T20 World Cup in Australia on the horizon.
India have won five and drawn one of their past six series in the shortest format, beating England most recently.
They are top of the rankings and have shown their strength in depth amid a hectic schedule.
Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal have been rested for this series along with out-of-sorts former captain Virat Kohli, but the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin and Kuldeep Yadav are back.
West Indies beat Bangladesh 2-0 in their last T20I series, but India consigned them to a 3-0 clean sweep in February.
Nicholas Pooran has endured a difficult start to his tenure as Windies white-ball skipper and his side face another big challenge in a series that includes two matches in Florida.
Yadav primed for more heroics
Suryakumar Yadav made a match-winning 117 when India beat England in the T20I decider at Trent Bridge.
With fierce competition in the middle order and Kohli absent, Yadav will see this series as another opportunity to cement his spot.
Windies batters must show consistency
Despite being beaten by India in all three ODIs, West Indies twice posted over 300.
They must show a consistency that has been lacking as they build towards the World Cup, led by Pooran, who has certainly not been short of runs as skipper and was man of the series in the T20I series success over the Tigers.
India won the ODI series 3-0 and continued in the same vein in the shortest format as Rohit claimed possession of a pair of records.
He led the way with 64 off 44 balls, surpassing Martin Guptill for the most runs in men's T20I cricket when he took his innings into the 20s.
Rohit's half-century saw him take outright possession of the record for the most scores of 50-plus in T20Is.
This made it 31 such scores for Rohit, who laid the foundation for Dinesh Karthik to power India to 190-6 in the closing overs with 41 not out from just 19 deliveries.
The Windies struck 22 off the first eight balls of their reply, but a strong start quickly gave way to a collapse.
Nicholas Pooran's side lost seven wickets for 64 runs as India's strength in depth with the ball came to the fore with Ravichandran Ashwin the star of the show.
Akeal Hosein (11) provided some lower-order resistance that was always in vain and was ended by Arshdeep Singh's yorker as India wrapped up a dominant win.
Record-breaker Rohit
Rohit now has 3,443 T20I runs to his name having gone past Guptill on 3,399.
He had been level with Virat Kohli, rested for this tour, with 30 scores of 50 or more in T20Is but broke the tie and went top of the leaderboard with his first 50 since November 2021 against New Zealand.
Spinners frustrate Windies
Seven Windies batters reached double figures, including tailender Keemo Paul, who made the margin of defeat more respectable with his 19 not out after the game was ended as a contest.
But it was a case of too many players failing to build on starts as India's spinners controlled the scoring and took regular wickets, Ashwin bowling 13 dot balls and giving up only two boundaries in his 2-22.
It was not always plain sailing for India, but in the end they closed out a comfortable victory that owed much to captain Rohit Sharma, debutant Ravi Bishnoi and Suryakumar Yadav.
West Indies had earlier reached 157-7 over their 20 overs, an innings that began poorly as Brandon King fell for just four to Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-31) in the first over – though Kyle Mayers (31) and Nicholas Pooran (61) soon found the tourists some momentum.
After their respective wickets, West Indies really struggled to build up a head of steam again. Bishnoi (2-17) claimed the scalps of Roston Chase (four) and Rovman Powell (two) as the 21-year-old enjoyed a miserly outing on his debut.
Kieron Pollard (24 not out) at least restored a little dignity, but he had little help around him, thus setting India a reachable target.
Rohit's 40 off 19 gave India the start they needed, and Ishan Kishan (35 off 42) proved a solid – if pragmatic – partner until both were undone by Chase's (2-14) bowling.
Fabian Allen (1-23) and Sheldon Cottrell (1-35) then saw to Virat Kohli (17) and Rishabh Pant (eight), respectively, with both batsmen feeling somewhat aggrieved by the decisions.
But any suggestion of West Indies still having a chance were emphatically washed away by Suryakumar (34 not out) and Venkatesh Iyer (24 not out), who eased the hosts over the line at 162-4 with seven balls to spare.
Bishnoi makes his mark
Bishnoi initially looked nervous, throwing three wides in his first over. But he quickly adjusted his focus, posting impressive numbers as he dismissed Chase and Powell.
Speaking afterwards, he said: "The nerves are settled now. I was feeling very good, it's everyone's dream to play for India and I was feeling good. West Indies is one of the best T20 teams and I got the chance to play against them. I'll try to cut down on the wides in the next match!"
Pooran's efforts in vain
Were it not for Pooran's efforts, this would have been an even worse start to the three-match series for the Windies. His 61 with the bat was undoubtedly the highlight of their innings, with Pollard very aware that his side were otherwise disappointing.
Pollard said: "Getting down to the 19th over was good on the part of the bowlers. If I'm being honest, between overs six to 15 we scored too few runs. We were 15-20 runs short."
India won for an eighth consecutive T20I match, a new record for the nation, as they defeated the tourists by seven runs in Kolkata.
After Rohit and Ishan Kishan managed just 21 runs between them, Virat Kohli and player of the match Rishabh Pant settled any anxiety at the crease by scoring 52 each, with eight boundaries apiece.
Pant's half-century came off just 28 deliveries, while Kohli's score took him to within just three runs of equalling Martin Guptill's T20I record of 3,299 runs.
The West Indies mounted a strong chase, with Nicholas Pooran hitting 62 before being caught off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's delivery – a crucial wicket with just 15 balls remaining.
Rovman Powell's 68 dragged them close to a win, but Harshal Patel and Bhuvneshwar's expert final overs saw India over the line.
"You are always a bit scared when you are playing against these guys. In the end, it was a phenomenal finish," said Rohit.
"Right from the start, we knew it wouldn't be easy. But I am proud we executed our plans under pressure."
Brilliant Bhuvi
The experience of Bhuvneshwar proved key as the West Indies cranked up the pressure. The 32-year-old finished on 1-29 from four overs, giving up just two boundaries and signing off with just four singles and the wicket of Pooran from his final over.
"It was very critical at that point when Bhuvneshwar bowled," said Rohit. "That's where experience comes into play. Bhuvi has been doing it for many years and we believe in him a lot."
No century celebrations for Pollard
Kieron Pollard became the first West Indies player to reach 100 T20I appearances and the ninth overall in international cricket, although he could not mark the occasion by hitting the single six needed to reach a century in the format.
Pollard, who gave up 14 runs in his solitary over and scored three off the bat from as many deliveries, said of the finish: "We cannot call the batters out. We can look at it in different ways how we could have got those eight runs. We are a work in progress."
Speaking on the Super Over podcast, Raina likened Rohit's leadership to that of Dhoni, who captained India in over 300 matches across all formats and led the team to all three ICC white-ball trophies during his tenure between 2007 and 2016.
Though Virat Kohli succeeded Dhoni as India's skipper, Raina talked up Rohit's demeanour and described him as "the next MS Dhoni for the Indian cricket team".
When that was put to Rohit in an online question-and-answer session, the opener said on a Twitter video: "Yes, I heard about that comment from Suresh Raina.
"MS Dhoni is one of a kind and nobody can be like him and I believe comparisons should not be made like that, every individual is different and has his strengths and weaknesses."
Rohit, 33, has led Mumbai Indians to a record four Indian Premier League titles and has also captained India in 10 ODIs and 19 Twenty20 internationals, winning 23 of those 29 matches.
"Around him, players enjoy the intensity, they enjoy his aura," former India batsman Raina had said.
"When you enjoy the aura of a player, you like to be positive and I think that is what he is good at.
"MS Dhoni was brilliant. He [Rohit] has won more [IPL] trophies than MS, but they both are very similar. Both of them, as captains, like to listen.
"When your captain is listening, you can solve a lot of problems, you can solve the mental aspects of the players. So in my book, they both are wonderful.
"I have seen [Rohit], he is calm, he likes to listen. He likes to give confidence to the players and on top of that, he likes to lead from the front.
"When a captain leads from the front and, at the same time, he gives respect to the dressing-room atmosphere, you know you have it all."
Root has not played for his country in the shortest format since May 2019 and has been overlooked for the three-match T20 series, which starts at the Rose Bowl on Friday.
The Test captain has made an impressive start to the T20 Blast back in Yorkshire colours, having stated he has not given up on forcing his way back into squad for the T20 World Cup in India next year, but said he was realistic over his chances.
Root has been named in a 13-man squad for the ODI series, which follows the T20s, versus Aaron Finch's side at Old Trafford.
Roy will sit out the T20s due to a left side strain that has kept him out of the ongoing series against Pakistan, but will remain in the bio-secure bubble with a view to showing he can feature in the 50-over format.
Test players Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran and Mark Wood are back in both squads, while Chris Woakes is set to play in the ODI series.
Ben Stokes remains absent after flying to New Zealand to be with his family, as his father Ged has brain cancer. Fellow all-rounder David Willey was overlooked for both squads despite being man of the series in the ODIs against Ireland.
National selector Ed Smith, said: "These two series against Australia provide an exciting end to the summer. We have selected strong squads.
"We are also continuing to develop depth in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cups."
England T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Chris Jordan, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
Reserves: Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood.
England ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Reserves: Joe Denly, Saqib Mahmood.
The Somerset top-order batsman posted an unbeaten 96 not out off 55 balls after arriving at 39-1 to steer the tourists to a first innings total of 207-3 at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
That proved to be more than enough to see off the hosts, who slumped to a middle-order collapse in response for 149 all out despite a defiant sixth-wicket stand between Jonny Bairstow (30) and Liam Livingstone (18).
The result means the two sides will head to the Rose Bowl in Southampton on Sunday for a winner-takes-all encounter, after the pair were forced to a 1-1 draw in their ODI series by rain at Headingley.
A lively opening stand between skipper-wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks sparked early fireworks before the former guided Moeen Ali to Jason Roy for 15, paving the way for Rossouw's arrival.
The left-hander, who returned from a six-year T20I exodus at Bristol on Wednesday, managed only four the night before but rolled out a masterfully modulated performance to guide his side through to the interval.
Stands of 73, 31 and 64 with Hendricks (53), Heinrich Klaasen (19) and Tristan Stubbs (15 not out) helped the Proteas to a double-century plus total, with the latter two in particular offering solid supporting performances.
England conjured an element of deja vu in their immediate response, with captain Jos Buttler holing out to Hendricks off the back of a rapid-fire 29 before Dawid Malan (5) and Jason Roy (20) fell to reduce them to 77-3.
The further dismissals of Ali (28) and Sam Curran (2) in quick succession left them at 92-5, staring down the barrel of a hefty defeat, before Bairstow and Livingstone combined for a morale-boosting 36.
But the former's dismissal through a superb catch from Lungi Ngidi off Kagiso Rabada effectively checked any momentum to leave the hosts at 128-6, and the latter's exit less than an over later sparked a tail-end collapse to tee up an intriguing finale this weekend.
Rossouw seizes second chance
Once the hottest prospect in South African cricket the better part of a decade ago, with a first-class top score of 319 posted as a teenager, Rossouw effectively seemed to end his international career in 2017 when he penned a Kolpak contract with Hampshire.
But injury to white-ball skipper Temba Bavuma has offered him an unlikely shot at Proteas redemption, and though his brief four in Wednesday's opening match was more anticlimactic, this proved a masterful display that could well give him a way back into the setup on a regular basis.
Bairstow keeps form afloat as Tests loom
Few players have showcased quite such a rich vein of form of late than Bairstow in Test cricket, and he carried that Midas touch over into the first T20I on Wednesday with a fluidly assured 90 to guide England to victory.
While the hosts fell considerably shorter a day later this time around, Bairstow once again proved their top scorer with a more modest 30, a figure that nevertheless showcases his ability to keep grinding out runs as he prepares to return to the long-form game against the tourists next month.
After a pair of ducks in the opening two matches, Rossouw cracked 100 not out on Tuesday as the Proteas rattled to 227-3, before limiting the hosts to 178 all out at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore.
India, armed with a 2-0 lead, were seeking to seal a series sweep ahead of three ODIs, but they did not threaten to get near South Africa's total.
South Africa opener Quinton de Kock made 68 from 43 deliveries and shared in a second-wicket stand of 90 with Rossouw, before the latter cut loose, with eight sixes in his maiden T20I ton.
India suffered a wretched start to their reply as they lost Rohit Sharma (0) and Shreyas Iyer (1) inside 10 balls.
From 4-2, they recovered somewhat, stepping up the run rate significantly, but Rishabh Pant (27) and Dinesh Karthik (46) had to keep going to make it competitive. Both were gone by the end of the seventh over, and so in essence was India's hope of victory.
India were seven wickets down by the time they got halfway to their target and a late flurry from the hosts serving essentially as crowd-pleasing batting practice. Lungi Ngidi took 2-51, in the process becoming the sixth South African bowler to reach 50 T20I wickets.
Dwaine Pretorius claimed 3-26 as the tourists finished the series on a high note.
Curious life of Rilee
Rossouw's ducks in the first two matches of this series were his third and fourth in T20Is, which is hardly ideal considering they were just his 18th and 19th innings in the short format. He has 12 sub-20 scores (including a 19no) in T20Is, but showed his class with a stunning century. It came as a mesmerising rate, with Rossouw topping his previous best of 96 not out, which came against England in Cardiff in July of this year.
A word, too, for De Kock, who passed the 2,000-run mark in T20Is, becoming the second player, after David Miller, to achieve that feat for the Proteas.
Twenty20 20 sets a record
Umesh Yadav's unbeaten knock of 20 was the highest individual score by an Indian batter coming in at number 10 or below in the batting order in men's T20Is. It made ostensibly no difference, but coach Rahul Dravid was seeking runs all the way down the order so would have taken that as a small positive.
As was the case in the host's series-levelling victory at Headingley on Sunday, sweltering conditions and a dry surface played into the hands of the spinners, with Adil Rashid (4-35) again the England attack.
Moeen Ali returned a miserly 1-19 from his four overs as the England seamers went wicketless and Mohammad Rizwan carried his bat for a 57-ball 76 within 154-6.
Jason Roy went six, four and out in Leeds but produced something more substantial here, with 12 fours and a six before perishing on the slog sweep at Usman Qadir for 64 off 36 deliveries.
Jos Buttler (21) and Jonny Bairstow (five) also skewed slow bowling skywards and Eoin Morgan (21) joined an out-of-sorts Dawid Malan with the score 112-4 after 15 overs, Moeen having been cleaned up by Mohammad Hafeez (3-28).
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam went back to pace in a pivotal 18th over and Morgan flogged him for a pair of sixes, although Hasan Ali had the last laugh, having the England captain caught at mid-on with four balls remaining.
Malan's dogged 31 had been ended by Hafeez and Liam Livingstone had gone six and out by that stage, meaning a pair of scampered twos from all-rounder Chris Jordan were required to finish the job.
The ECB on Friday stated that paceman Archer has been ruled out of England's Test tour of Sri Lanka and the IPL due to a low-grade stress fracture of his right elbow.
Archer is due to commence a rehabilitation programme with the ECB medical team with a view to facing West Indies in a three-match Test series in June.
Yet the Royals, who signed the quick for 7.2 crore (£800,000) in the 2018 IPL auction, have not given up hope of Archer playing in a tournament that gets under way at the end of March and finishes on May 24.
Rajasthan head coach Andrew McDonald told ESPNcricinfo: "It is a blow but these things always confront teams. These are the setbacks that you have to contend with.
"First and foremost, our thoughts are with Jofra. Getting an elbow injury when you are at the top of your game is far from ideal, but watching him from afar it's been great to see what he's been able to achieve.
"We'll see what happens. The ECB have been reasonably solid on ruling him out of the IPL, but we still hold out some hope that he may recover.
"We'll get those details over the next 24-48 hours as to the extent of the injury, and we'll work with the ECB as to what that may or may not look like.
"I'm sure he's keen [to play in the IPL]. He loves playing for Rajasthan, but injuries happen, and until more details come to light, we will always hold out hope for a player of that quality.
"It doesn't look good at the moment, but we won't be in any rush to replace him at this moment in time."
Morgan's team are 2-1 down after three games of a five-match tussle, with each contest being staged at Bridgetown's Kensington Oval.
The World Cup-winning skipper played in the first two matches of the ongoing series but was sidelined for the third on Wednesday, suffering an injury in the warm-up which meant Moeen Ali led the team in his place.
England lost a high-scoring match by 20 runs, and they must also cope without Morgan's on-field leadership for the games on Saturday and Sunday.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said Morgan sustained "a low-grade quadriceps injury" in his right leg that was "relatively minor" but meant he could play no further active part in the series.
Having struggled in his previous five innings in England's seven-match T20I series, when managing just 59 runs, Salt hit a blistering 88 not out from 41 deliveries on Friday.
Salt reached a half-century in 19 balls – the third-fastest by an England player in the format – as the tourists levelled up the series at 3-3 in Lahore.
That set up a decider on Sunday, when Salt will have another chance to underline his credentials to retain his spot at the top of the order at the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"I'm very grateful for the backing I've got from my team-mates and the management. It's very clear the way they want me to play," the 26-year-old said.
"The way I play is aggressive and I want to win as many games as possible while I'm in an England shirt.
"The first few games haven't gone to plan – I've been finding ways to get out, hitting fielders or whatever – but it's nice to come up with a performance like that in a big game.
“It's always a challenge at the top of the order when you feel like you're playing well but you're picking out fielders and finding ways to get out.
"It was definitely [my best T20 innings] and it was nice to do it with the series in the balance."
With Jos Buttler due to return from injury in time for the World Cup, Salt is realistically in competition with Alex Hales over partnering the white-ball skipper.
"You need competition. The best sides in the world have competition and you can't get away from that – it's the same in any sport," Salt added.
"Everyone is trying to put their best foot forwards and show the coaching team and the team-mates how good they are.
"I'm not looking too far into the future; I'm just focused on the next game in a couple of days' time."
Salt's destruction of the Pakistan attack came after home captain Babar Azam had hit an unbeaten 87 to set England a target of 170 for victory.
Babar became the first Pakistan batter to reach 3,000 T20I runs during his half-century, doing so in the absence of the rested Mohammad Rizwan.
He is the fifth men's player to reach that milestone in the format and the joint-quickest to do so alongside India great Virat Kohli.
Reflecting on what was ultimately a disappointing day for his side, however, Babar said: "After losing a couple of early wickets, we thought 170 was a good score.
"Maybe we were 10 runs or so short, but the way Salt batted in the first four or five overs, they took the game away from us.
"The way they used the powerplay was the turnaround today. I think the middle-order needs to step up, they need to take responsibility."
