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India will host South Africa for a full tour, comprising two Tests and three ODIs. Though the dates for the tour, scheduled for early this year, are yet to be finalised, India’s request to play two Tests in what was originally planned as an ODI series has been accepted. Nagpur and the Eden Gardens, which is undergoing renovation for World Cup 2011, have been confirmed as the two Test venues.

Kolkata, which will host its first Test since 2007, has had trouble with its floodlights over the last two seasons, the latest incident occurring in the one-dayer between India and Sri Lanka.

Jacques Kallis has proven, time and again, that he is South Africa’s man for a crisis, but with his country’s series prospects in serious jeopardy following another meltdown from his fellow batsmen, he responded with the 33rd Test century of his 14-year-career, and his seventh in 28 matches against England, to enable his country to finish an enthralling first day at Newlands with some measure of parity.

Graeme Smith has admitted the decision over Makhaya Ntini’s place in South Africa’s line-up is a “sensitive” issue, but unlike during the build-up to the previous Test at Durban he didn’t give the struggling fast bowler his unqualified support.

Two days on from the Kingsmead Test, Smith confirmed that Ntini would retain his place in the starting line-up at the expense of Friedel de Wet, but after a performance where he went wicketless through 29 overs the captain was no longer able to offer that backing. The decision over Ntini’s fate was being taken on Saturday afternoon and the news is unlikely to be good for one of South Africa’s most famous sportsmen.

Paul Collingwood is rated 50-50 to be fit for the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town, after testing out his injured left index finger for the first time since he dislocated it during practice prior to the fourth day’s play at Durban.

If Collingwood doesn’t recover in time Michael Carberry, the Hampshire left-hander, is the likely replacement and would make his debut just four days after arriving from the UK. However, England coach Andy Flower remains optimistic that Collingwood will be available after he managed a more extensive work-out than had been planned during the nets session at Newlands.

The next two days could determine Makhaya Ntini’s international future as the paceman’s Test place hangs in the balance. Mickey Arthur, the coach, confirmed South Africa are set to make changes to the side that was hammered by an innings and 98 runs at Durban and didn’t stop short of suggesting that the pressure on the fast bowler was huge.

“We’ve got to look and see which team is going to give us a really good batting platform and which our best option is to take 20 wickets,” Arthur said. “We’ll sum that up when we look at conditions and there are going to be some tough decisions to be made. Whether it’s one change or two changes I’m not sure.”

Stuart Broad can now remember Durban for the good times. His fourth-afternoon spell of three wickets in 15 balls helped put England on course for their crushing innings-and-98-run victory and it was far cry from his previous experience on his ground. During the 2007 World Twenty20 he was clobbered for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh and has been reminded about it many times since.

Now, though, after ripping out Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy in a dramatic post-tea session there is a different Kingsmead story to talk about. “I made sure I bowled at the other end,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a very different format of the game – and I can’t remember what happened yesterday, let alone years ago.

South Africa’s convenor of selectors, Mike Procter, has called on the team to show their “character” after the innings-and-98-run drubbing against England at Durban. They have only two days to prepare for the next Test at Cape Town, a match they must win to retain any chance of claiming a series they were expected to dominate.

Procter admits the nature of the defeat has been hard to take, but while he maintains there is no need for panic measures he did add “at this stage, anyway”. That suggests the pressure is squarely on this group of players to turn the series around otherwise places will be on the line.

Stuart Broad has defended his on-field behaviour after recent criticism since the start of the series against South Africa. The strongest comments have come from Sunil Gavaskar who has claimed Broad escapes punishment because is father, Chris, is an ICC match referee.

Gavaskar’s views came out following Broad’s approach to the umpires during the first Test, at Centurion, after he was given out lbw through the review system and queried the length of time the home side took to call for TV evidence. Broad conceded he would have been better meeting the umpires off the field, but said it was very calm.

England’s cricketers needed just 18 overs on the final morning at Durban to wrap up a thumping innings-and-98-run victory in the second Test, as South Africa’s tail crumbled under the sheer weight of scoreboard pressure bearing down on them following the team’s desperate performance on the fourth evening. Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad were once again the stand-out performers, as they shared nine of the ten wickets in the innings, with Swann claiming the spoils with 5 for 54 in 21 overs.

A sensational collapse of six wickets for 23 in 71 balls left South Africa clinging to the wreckage of their second innings at Kingsmead, as Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann capitalised on an aggressive finale to England’s innings to tear the heart out of their opponents’ batting line-up, and propel their team towards victory on an extraordinary fourth day’s play.

By the close, South Africa were reeling at 76 for 6, and even that grim scoreline had to be salvaged by a dour seventh-wicket stand of 26 between Mark Boucher and Morne Morkel. Together they endured for 10.5 overs before bad light brought salvation, but with just four wickets still standing and a deficit of 156 runs still remaining to be wiped off, England were circling for the kill after one of their most dominant days of recent times.