Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik will play in Thursday's International Masters Game, the curtain-raiser to the Twenty20 International between India and New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. The duo, who are not in India's Twenty20 squad, were drafted into the New Zealand and Australian Masters' teams respectively after discussions with the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA).
New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor is confident he will be back to full fitness by the start of the World T20 in India after making his comeback from injury by participating in a domestic competition in Wellington. Taylor scored an unbeaten 26 off 16 balls as he helped his side North Island close out a comfortable six-wicket T20 victory over the South Island at the Basin Reserve on Sunday. It was the former Black Caps skipper's first spell at the crease since he suffered a side strain five weeks earlier while batting against Pakistan in a one-dayer across town at Westpac Stadium. The 31-year-old right-hander didn't shy away from playing his cut and pull shots and hit three boundaries. "It was good to get through that, but I'm confident it will get a lot better come the next couple of weeks," Taylor told cricket.com.au. Taylor said he felt a bit stiff, but had been told that would ease over time.
Australian all-rounder James Faulkner has been ruled out of the remaining of the one-day internationals series against New Zealand, Cricket Australia said in a statement on Wednesday.
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has said that the series win over New Zealand had erased all the doubts raised about his side ahead of the Ashes series later this year.
Brendon McCullum's unbeaten 94 and skipper Daniel Vettori's 77 helped pull New Zealand off the mat and take a 67 runs lead against Australia at end of fourth day play in Wellington's Basin Reserve.
'It is pure luck that we did not have any body bags, otherwise things could have been nasty.'
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim was taken to hospital on Monday after being hit on the head by a bouncer from New Zealand's Tim Southee but was reported to be doing "fine".
New Zealand fast bowlers Shane Bond and Tim Southee claimed four wickets each to defeat Australia by 51 runs and take a consolation victory in the final ODI at Wellington on Saturday.
With this victory, New Zealand have taken a 2-0 lead in the series with a match to play.
The duo had 15 seconds to challenge the decision but with no indications from Williamson, Taylor walked back to the pavilion.
India's batting came a cropper in the Hamilton game as they were dismissed for their seventh lowest total of 92.
Sri Lankan batting great Kumar Sangakkara believes that the revival of the abandoned World Test Championship can address some of the problems facing the iconic longer format of the game.
India's pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar said the eight-wicket loss to New Zealand is a 'reality check' for the team.
The views are stunning, the skies are blue, the forests are lush and, wonder of wonders, thanks to the discipline of the tea estate, even man isn't vile, discover Renu Bahal Wadhwa and T C A Srinivasa Raghavan after a trip to Kerala's breathtakingly beautiful hill retreat.
We have a generation of youth in our country with fire in their bellies and the 'tamanna' to emulate the Indian soldier. Such is the image that has been created by our soldiers over time. The proposal for civilians into the Military fray for a short stint must be considered favourably keeping the national interests foremost, says Air Commodore Nitin Sathe (retd).
The Pakistan team is eyeing a series-levelling victory against New Zealand after setting a target of 405 runs and again having the New Zealand team on the back foot at 70 for three at stumps on day three of the second Test being played at the Basin Reserve in Wellington.
Pakistan took control of the second Test against New Zealand with a 229-run lead over the hosts at the end of Day 2. Replying to the tourists' 264 in the first innings, New Zealand crashed to 99. Pakistan were 64 for 2 in the second essay.
With none of the senior players keen on batting at the number three slot, the Pakistan cricket camp is in a quandary over who to send in the crucial position during the second Test against New Zealand starting on Thursday in Wellington.
Sachin Tendulkar scored his 42nd Test hundred. This is his fourth ton against New Zealand, equalling Rahul Dravid's Indian record. Tendulkar's brilliant innings of 160 is his highest ever in New Zealand, eclipsing the 113 at Wellington in 1998.
Rain might have played spoilsport in the second cricket one-dayer between India and New Zealand in Wellington, but visiting skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels the positive thing which emerged from Friday's abandoned match was Sachin Tendulkar's return to runs.
India's champion batman Sachin Tendulkar was withdrawn from an exhibition match in Wellington on Friday at the eleventh hour as the Board of Control for Cricket in India objected to presence of an Indian Cricket League player in the team he was to represent. The BCCI objected to the presence of Hamish Marshall, a former New Zealand batsman who featured in the rebel ICL tournament last year, in the Kiwi side that Tendulkar was to play for.
Australia beat New Zealand by five wickets in their tri-series clash at Eden Park on Friday.
His 6-0, 6-2 thrashing of Belgium's David Goffin in the O2 Arena followed Monday's tense three-set win over Dominic Thiem when he became the first Bulgarian to take part in the elite tournament for the top eight players in its 48-year history.
Vice Admiral Lanba, who will proceed to New Delhi to take over as the Chief of Naval Staff on Tuesday, handed over the command to Luthra at a ceremonial parade in Mumbai on Monday morning.
Trent Boult and Neil Wagner quickly wrapped up Sri Lanka's second innings on Sunday as New Zealand clinched the series 1-0 with a dominant 423-run victory in the second Test.
India openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag moved in opposite directions in the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after their contrasting performances against New Zealand in the Wellington Test which ended in a draw on Tuesday.
Legendary New Zealand all-rounder Richard Hadlee was inducted into the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame during the lunch break of the ongoing India-New Zealand third Test in Wellington on Friday.
India coach Gary Kirsten quashed British media speculation that he is a front-runner among the candidates for the job of England cricket coach. 'I am not a candidate,' he was quoted as saying by cricinfo on the sidelines of Indian team's practice session in Wellington on Thursday, ahead of the third Test against New Zealand.
New Zealand on Tuesday included young pacer Tim Southee in their squad for the third and final cricket Test against India starting April 3 in Wellington.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum acclaimed opener Martin Guptill's World Cup record 237 not out against West Indies on Saturday as one of the best ever.
The rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) is ready to off-load its New Zealand players like Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey if requested, thus making them eligible for a national call-up. According to a report in The Sunday News in Wellington, the likes of Bond and Tuffey would be allowed to leave by the recession-hit league, which is fighting a grim battle to get International Cricket Council's recognition in the face of tough opposition from the powerful BCCI.
New Zealand will stick with their crash, bang, wallop brand of cricket in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against West Indies because it gives them the best chance of winning, captain Brendon McCullum said on Friday.
New Zealand's Brendon McCullum expects favouritism, underdog status and the possibility of choking under the weight of expectation to have little influence on Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against West Indies.
I am really happy what we could achieve as a team. If you know me, at no stage of my career has personal glory been important. The milestones (2442 runs in a year as opener) are fine but winning every series is what we focus on, says Rohit, who is keen on winning a big ICC event before hanging up his boots.
West Indies captain Jason Holder praised his team's effort in the do-or-die clash against United Arab Emirates on Sunday and will next look to target the batting of likely World Cup quarter-final opponents New Zealand in Wellington next week.
Bollywood heart throb Imran Khan discusses his school life, first crush when he was 5 and his career.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key on Thursday hosted an official dinner for the visiting Indian cricket team which was also attended by Daniel Vettori-led national side at the Parliament in Wellington. Welcoming Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men and the Kiwis, Key quipped that the tight finishes in the matches between the two teams had made for some sleepless nights in his household.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to field against India in the second and final Twenty20 International at the Westpac stadium in Wellington on Friday. India have made one change to their side, bringing in all-rounder Ravinder Jadeja in place of Rohit Sharma.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said that India's High Commission in New Zealand is in touch with local authorities for more information.
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