Match Analysis

South Africa could have declared earlier and tempted the hosts to go for the target in Wellington, but having dominated the series Graeme Smith did not want to risk a loss

New Zealand's batsmen had shown promise against South Africa's strong bowling attack but none displayed the temperament to play a long innings, until Williamson's battling hundred

Sri Lanka dug themselves a hole in Galle but had their captain to thank for digging them out of it again

The Lancastrian's three wickets on day one at Galle brought him level with one of the county's most famous sons

Plays of the Day from the first day of the first Test in Galle

The way the South Africa attack went about their work and applied pressure aggressively, without any let up through the first two sessions on Monday in Wellington, was a measure of how tough Test cricket could be

Petersen has dealt with pressure before and come out on top; the challenge this time was of a slightly different order

The next step in Afghanistan's journey is closing the gap between them and the second-tier Full Members. With players like Mohammad Shahzad forging an identity that commands attention, that day may come soon

The hosts failed to keep the pressure on South Africa after claiming an early wicket and that's something they'll look to rectify on the second day

The performances of Sarfraz Ahmed and Aizaz Cheema played a critical role in the outcome of the Asia Cup final

An underdog always has the potential to create theatre and Bangladesh achieved that. They have succeeded in winning the hearts of their fans, and given the Asia Cup popularity

The celebrations were not restrained in Bangladesh after they made the final, but Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal said they were not yet finished

Virat Kohli's adaptability is a key strength that's helped him play such a critical role in helping India overhaul big totals

Bringing in an extra batsman would mean dropping one of the bowlers which could disturb a settled bowling attack. The problems stem from the top

Vernon Philander's extraordinary success is due to three key things: consistency, movement and strategic use of his own limitations

Sachin Tendulkar could conceivably have scored a little quicker and helped India to 20 extra runs, but would the listless bowling have been able to defend even that?

Apparently, the Bangladesh dressing room wasn't overly nervous when their kingpin, Shakib Al Hasan, was adjudged out with victory still some way off - they knew they still had Mushfiqur Rahim

New Zealand had South Africa reeling at 88 for 6 but their bowlers were unable to deliver the fatal blow, allowing South Africa to steal a first-innings lead

No matter how many batsmen Pakistan play, middle-order collapses seem to haunt them, much to Misbah-ul-Haq's chagrin. Finally, with Pakistan playing only six batsmen, Misbah and Umar Akmal gave the team a spine

They came to the Asia Cup after five games in 10 days in Australia and had their first practice the day of their first game. But it was the loss of their two allrounders that proved too big a blow for Sri Lanka to adjust to