New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner showered praise on Michael Bracewell for adjusting to flat tracks after the spinner bagged four wickets in their comprehensive Champions Trophy win over Bangladesh on Monday.
Out-of-form New Zealand opener Devon Conway will miss the third Test against England in Hamilton to remain at home for the birth of his first child this week
Kane Williamson is too long in the tooth to get dragged into the debate over India getting to play the Champions Trophy final in Dubai.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner acknowledged the challenge posed by India's understanding of the conditions in the Champions Trophy final, but expressed confidence in his team's ability to adapt. Santner believes the experience of playing against India in a league match will help, and is hoping his batters will be better prepared to face mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy this time around.
Unfazed by New Zealand's group stage defeat to India, opener Will Young is focused on exploiting Rohit Sharma's side's weaknesses in the Champions Trophy final in Dubai on Sunday.
'We'll be putting our thinking caps on how to nullify that threat while still scoring runs against him.'
New Zealand took charge on the second day of the third Test by dismissing England for 143 and making 136/3 at close of play for an overall lead of 340.
Kane Williamson scored a magisterial 156 at his most productive venue to drive New Zealand to the brink of a consolation victory over England at the end of the third day of the third Test.
Seamers Ben Sears, Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke will play their first global tournament at the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates next month after being named in the New Zealand squad on Sunday.
Former New Zealand opener John Wright, who coached India with great success, has emerged as the favourite to become coach of the Black Caps after two Australians and ex-Black Cap skipper Stephen Fleming ruled themselves out on Wednesday.
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson said his side have every chance of derailing India in a major final once again.
Allowing India to play all their matches in Dubai robbed Pakistan of the honour of hosting the final and disrupted the schedule of the knockout matches.
New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a foot injury on Tuesday in a major blow for the Black Caps.
'They haven't done a lot wrong. That's without some of their stars actually performing in that final.'
New Zealand's chances of delivering a famous series whitewash in India will depend on how well they adapt to the Mumbai pitch
New Zealand batsman Tom Latham says his team will take confidence from their recent win over South Africa in the tri-series when they face the same opponents in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy in Lahore on Wednesday.
Ajaz Patel said helping New Zealand wrap up a 3-0 series sweep in India on Sunday was even more special than his spectacular outing at the Wankhede Stadium three years ago
England took charge of the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday, riding Harry Brook's 171 to a first-innings lead of 151 before reducing the Black Caps to 155/6 on Day 3.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
'So there was some good fight there and they got some rewards late in the day. So yeah, I think both teams will be pleased with their efforts.'
New Zealand opener Devon Conway has opted for a casual rather than central contract for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked India as the favourites in Sunday's Champions Trophy summit clash against New Zealand, but hastened to add that the advantage will be miniscule, given that the Black Caps are a formidable side.
Bleary-eyed New Zealanders celebrated a weekend of sporting triumphs around the world on Monday and for once there was not a rugby ball in sight.
As the Champions Trophy kicks off, some memorable moments from past tournaments.
Harry Brook continued his remarkable form in New Zealand with a second century of the series to drive England to 280 before the tourists reduced the Black Caps to 86 for 5 at the close of play on Friday, the first day of the second Test.
New Zealand must adapt quickly, says Daryl Mitchell as spin-friendly surface beckons at Pune
Tim Southee is eyeing the third Test against England as his swan song in the format but will make himself available for selection if the Black Caps make the WTC final next year.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
Kane Williamson was ruled out of New Zealand's second Test against India starting in Pune on Thursday as he continues his recovery from a groin strain.
Kane Williamson is a doubt for the Test series against India due to a groin injury sustained in the second Test against Sri Lanka.
With his century in Rawalpindi on Monday, Rachin Ravindra became the first player to score a century on debut in both the ICC World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy.
IMAGES from the ICC Champions Trophy match played between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Rawalpindi on Monday.
Kane Williamson will miss the third Test against India starting in Mumbai on Friday in the hope that his groin strain clears up in time to face England next month.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy Group A match played between Pakistan and New Zealand at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday.
The tourists will be without batsman Kane Williamson in Bengaluru after the former skipper opted out of the opener due to a groin injury, while paceman Ben Sears was ruled out of the series with a knee injury and replaced by Jacob Duffy.
Shubman Gill was batting on 31 while Rishabh Pant was not out on one at stumps after India had come back into the game with Jadeja claiming 5-65 and Washington Sundar bagging 4-81.
They pushed themselves hard to win the title and it was only fair that the newly-crowned world Test champions New Zealand pushed the 'boat out a little bit' more while celebrating their momentous triumph before heading back home.
England's Jacob Bethell will bat at number three for the first time in first-class cricket when he makes his Test debut against New Zealand at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on Thursday.
'It's been over a year now since I made some comments about the over-rates to the match referee and umpires, and to this day we're yet to hear any response back from the ICC.'
The win propelled New Zealand from sixth to fourth in the updated standings, with a win-loss percentage of 44.44%,
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