In a 74-page 'manifesto' the attacker posted online, he described himself as a white supremacist who was out to 'avenge attacks in Europe perpetrated by Muslims'.

New Zealand's worst peacetime mass killing rippled through the country's top-class sports on Saturday with two high profile events cancelled and the first class cricket title being decided without a ball being bowled in the final round of matches.

Ross Taylor became New Zealand's highest scorer in One-Day Internationals on Wednesday as he helped his side secure an 88-run victory over Bangladesh in Dunedin in their final official ODI before the World Cup.

Rajneesh Gupta gives us all the dazzling numbers.

ECB to allow replacements for concussed players in domestic matches

Bairstow, who scored 138 in the fourth game in Dunedin, smashed a 58-ball century with eight boundaries and six sixes as he combined with Alex Hales (61) in a 155-run opening stand in perfect batting conditions.

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor's health would not be risked for the series-deciding one day international on Saturday as the team looks ahead to two Tests against England, coach Mike Hesson has said.

Taylor, who missed the third game in Wellington with a quadriceps injury, was limping badly after he appeared to suffer a similar strain but still combined with Tom Latham (71) for 187 runs as New Zealand scored 339 for five in 49.3 overs to chase down England's 335 for nine.

Heavy overnight rain ended New Zealand's hopes of winning the third Test against South Africa and levelling the series at 1-1 on Wednesday when the final day in Hamilton was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Williamson had moved to 148 at stumps with Mitchell Santner on 13, the home side holding a seven run lead over South Africa's first innings of 314.

Tom Latham and Jeet Raval weathered an intense examination for over 25 overs to guide New Zealand to 67 without loss at the close of the rain-affected second day of the third Test against South Africa at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Sunday.

South Africa were 123 for four in the third Test against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Saturday before rain forced the abandonment of the first day's play after 41 overs.

Keshav Maharaj took career best figures of 6-40 as South Africa romped to an eight-wicket victory over New Zealand on the extended third day of the second Test on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

South Africa were 224 for six at the close of play in a chilly Dunedin with a lead of 191 runs entering the final day on a pitch that is turning but offering little assistance for the pace bowlers and is proving difficult to score from.

Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla had given South Africa a slender lead over New Zealand at the end of the third day of the first Test on Friday, which was disrupted for 30 minutes by a fire alarm at University Oval.

Play in the first Test between New Zealand and South Africa resumed on Friday after a fire alarm in the main grandstand forced the evacuation of the venue and halted play for about 30 minutes.

Kane Williamson fought hard to establish his innings before cashing in during the final session to lead New Zealand to 177 for three at close of play on the second day of the first test against South Africa on Thursday.

Dean Elgar made the most of being dropped early in his innings to score his seventh Test century and anchor South Africa's 229 for four at the close of play on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand in Dunedin on Wednesday.

Faf du Plessis made a successful review of an lbw decision against him before guiding South Africa to a series-clinching six-wicket victory in the fifth and final One-dayer against New Zealand at Eden Park on Saturday.

Martin Guptill will not be included in the New Zealand squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa despite a brilliant matchwinning innings in the one-dayer against the Proteas on Wednesday.

Guess which Indian batsman has scored the most runs against New Zealand? Rajneesh Gupta tells you that and more.

Image Alert: Too much hotness ahead! You might need to switch on the air-conditioner.

Pakistan middle-order batsman Umar Akmal has launched a stinging attack against his country's media for constantly highlighting negative stories about him and spoiling his name in every little situation. The swashbuckling batsman made a promising debut in 2009, when he absolutely thrashed bowlers in the domestic circuit. Akmal also smashed blistering 102 runs in the third ODI of his debut series against Sri Lanka before introducing himself in the Test arena in a similar manner, scoring a brilliant 129 and 75 against New Zealand at Dunedin in November 2009. The 26-year-old, however, has been stuttering with form in the recent times, with possibilities of scoring big runs have now become a rare occurrence. Blaming the media for his inconsistent performance, Akmal believes he would be able to perform better if journalist stop turning every little issue into a big deal, the Dawn reported.

New Zealand will host their first day-night Test when England tour the country in early 2018, pending final approval from both teams.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum set a new record for the fastest Test century after lunch on the first day of the second Test against Australia on Saturday when he clouted exactly 100 runs in 54 balls.

Factbox on New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who will retire from international cricket after the second Test against Australia, starting in Christchurch from Thursday.

Factbox on New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who on Tuesday announced his decision to retire from all forms of international cricket in February.

While impressed by Kane Williamson's match-winning century, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum praised his bowlers for their tenacity and ability to change plans to suit the conditions, which helped them seal a series win over Sri Lanka.

Kane Williamson scored his fifth century in eight Tests in 2015 to guide New Zealand to a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka before lunch on the fourth day of the second Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Monday.

A hobbling Kane Williamson guided New Zealand to 142 for five at the close of play on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hamilton, with the hosts needing another 47 runs to seal a 2-0 series sweep.

Trent Boult took two wickets in one over and broke a partnership that had threatened to take the game out of New Zealand's reach as Sri Lanka reached 264 for seven by the end of a rain-shortened first day of the second Test on Friday.

As if a pitch that can barely be distinguished from the outfield was not enough for New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum to worry about ahead of the second Test against Sri Lanka, it turns out his top batsman may have a broken finger.

Ravichandran Ashwin held on to his top spot, while Ravindra Jadeja rose a rung to be fifth in the all-rounders' chart of the latest ICC Test rankings issued on Tuesday.

A frenetic first innings set up New Zealand's 122-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test on Monday, but captain Brendon McCullum was pleased with the way his bowlers stuck to their task without tangible reward.

Trent Boult took two quick wickets after lunch to help New Zealand complete a 122-run victory over Sri Lanka on the fifth day of the first Test at University Oval in Dunedin on Monday.

At stumps on day four, with an hour's play lost because of the weather, Sri Lanka were 109 for three, requiring a further 296 runs to pull off an epic victory.

Kane Williamson became the second New Zealand batsman to score 1000 Test runs in a calendar year as the hosts built an imposing 308-run lead over Sri Lanka at the close of the third day's play of the first Test in Dunedin.

Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne obstinately defied New Zealand's bowlers for much of the second day of the first Test at University Oval in Dunedin on Friday though the hosts still have the upper hand.

Afghanistan's cricket team will shifted its home base from Sharjah to the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association stadium in Noida where they will play their matches and practice after an MoU was signed on Thursday in this regard.

Martin Guptill struck his third Test century while Kane Williamson fell just short his 13th as New Zealand blunted Sri Lanka's inexperienced bowling attack to set themselves up for a big total in the first Test in Dunedin on Thursday.