Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh drove Australia to within 74 runs of a series-winning victory at the dinner-break in the third and final Test in Adelaide on Sunday after New Zealand's pacemen captured three early wickets.
A first T20 series victory in New Zealand will be the icing on the cake for the Men in Blue, who have far exceeded expectations during their three-month sojourn in this part of the world.
Teenager Tim Southee took four wickets to lead New Zealand to a 22-run win against England in the third one-day international on Saturday. New Zealand had appeared to be heading for a comprehensive defeat earlier after they slumped to 49 for five but after taking 50 runs from their last five overs to reach 182 all out, Southee ripped through England's middle-order.
The Indian team is still searching for the right middle-order combination with the World Cup just a few months away.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12s match between New Zealand and Scotland, in Dubai, on Wednesday.
Rajneesh Gupta lists interesting records from the first week of the Super 12 competition in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list Rediff.com's 50 Most Valuable Players ahead of Sunday's IPL 2022 final between the Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals.
England spinner Monty Panesar claimed six wickets to wrap up the deciding third Test against New Zealand just after lunch on the fifth day on Wednesday. New Zealand, chasing an improbable 553 to win, were bowled out for 431 in their second innings to give England victory by 121 runs and a 2-1 triumph in the series, their first overseas success since South Africa in 2005.
Kevin Pietersen scored a fine century as England ended Day 1 in the third Test against New Zealand on 240 for 7. New Zealand debutant pace bowler Tim Southee had made a dream start, taking two wickets in his first spell as England slumped to 58 for four at lunch and 150 for six at tea.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram has been ruled out of the third Test against England with a hip injury and replaced by Grant Elliott, captain Daniel Vettori said on Friday. South African-born Elliott will make his Test debut in the match at McLean Park, alongside teenage pace bowler Tim Southee who has been called in to replace fellow seamer Kyle Mills.
Teenage pace bowler Tim Southee was added to an otherwise unchanged New Zealand squad for the third Test against England, beginning in Napier on Saturday.
Tim Southee's prophecy before the start of the first Test against Sri Lanka came true on the opening day of the match as he took his eighth five-wicket haul at the Basin Reserve on Saturday.
It was a day that New Zealand pacer Tim Southee won't forget for the rest of his life for sure as the Indian batsmen scored a century off his bowling. The 20-year-old was smashed for 105 runs off his 10 overs as India ended up with a mammoth 392 for four in their 50 overs during the third One-Day International in Wellington on Sunday.
Southee had Kamrul Islam trapped in front for two in the 85th over, shortly after the game had been delayed for about 10 minutes when Rubel Hossain received medical treatment after being hit on the elbow by Trent Boult.
The Most Valuable Player Index table is telling another (worrying?) story: Performance from players in teams that are not going to make the top four is dropping somewhat alarmingly. The IPL is gruelling and cruel. It can do wonders to your career, but can also seriously hurt your international prospects if you get injured in a match that is essentially inconsequential. Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji present Rediff.com's Most Valuable Player Index after Game 63.
New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme changed the script completely with a final over assault that enabled Royal Challengers Bangalore put up a healthy total against Mumbai Indians.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's astute captaincy will be Chennai Super Kings' biggest weapon against a clinical Kolkata Knight Riders, whose troika of top-notch spinners promise to hold the aces in the high-octane Indian Premier League final in Dubai on Friday.
Debutant Shreyas Iyer was guts, aggression and flair rolled into one during an unbeaten knock of 75, which was nothing short of a baptism by fire, as India ended on 258 for four on the first day of the opening Test against New Zealand in Kanpur on Thursday.
Former India cricketers, including Bishan Singh Bedi, VVS Laxman and Sanjay Manjrekar, questioned the Virat Kohli-led team's tactics after it was humbled 0-2 in the Test series in New Zealand.
Mayank Agarwal scored his fourth Test half-century as India inched to 78-2 at tea on the third day of Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. The visitors, who had not lost any of their seven previous International Cricket Council World Test Championship matches, were 144-4 at the close of play at the Basin Reserve, still 39 runs behind and staring at their potential first defeat.
'A lot of our recent success has been based on the value of our number six batsman bowling some overs and we're comfortable continuing in that vein'
Trent Boult provided the impetus needed for New Zealand with a five-wicket haul as the hosts completed an innings and 52-run victory over Bangladesh on the fourth day of the first Test in Hamilton on Sunday.
Captain Kane Williamson led from the front with a superb century before his bowlers held their nerves in a close finish to help New Zealand edge past India by six runs in the second One-Day International in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Seifert blitzkrieg helps Kiwis beat India in opening T20
New Zealand picked two uncapped players in all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and pacer Blair Tickner for the three-match T20 International series against India.
The top five includes Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav; both reminding the Indian selectors that they can still be formidable magicians.
New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill says their pace attack have forged a blueprint they will seek to follow for the rest of the World Cup after dismantling the Sri Lankan batting order in Saturday's opening win in Cardiff.
McClenaghan and Milne last featured in the 50-over format for New Zealand in early 2016 and missed a majority of last year's fixtures through injuries.
Semi-finalists six times. Runner-up in 2015. Rajneesh Gupta highlights important numbers for the New Zealand team from World Cups.
While multiple-time world champions and Champions Trophy winners Australia are always a tough nut to crack, New Zealand will enter the game at Edgbaston with renewed confidence after their six-wicket warm-up win over Sri Lanka at the same venue.
New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill has been dropped for the Test series against Pakistan and the uncapped Jeet Raval is poised to make his debut.
Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus alongside speedster Mohammed Shami when defending champions India take on New Zealand on Sunday in their opening warm-up game ahead of the Champions Trophy in London.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were forced to share points with Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match after heavy downpour led to match being called off.
India's pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has been sidelined with injury fell to sixth in the latest ICC Test rankings, Starc up to career-best fifth spot.
New Zealand's towering new all-rounder Kyle Jamieson provided a second consecutive match-winning performance in the second Test against India at Hagley Oval on Monday as the home side clinched a 2-0 series win. He took Player of the Series honours after taking 5-45 in India's first innings followed by 49 batting at number nine as India's pace bowlers fought back on a green pitch offering extravagant movement off the seam.
New Zealand skittled Sri Lanka out for 122 on Monday to secure a series-levelling victory by an innings and 65 runs on the final day of a rain-hit second and final Test in Colombo.
Kohli is now five points clear after Smith's knock of 36 in the Adelaide Test
The sour taste of a 10-wicket loss to New Zealand in the first Test was a good lesson for India's cricketers and there is no doubt they will be far more competitive in the second in Christchurch, coach Ravi Shastri said.
The only selection issue facing New Zealand as they head into the second match against India at Christchurch is likely to be whether pace bowler Kyle Jamieson, so impressive on his Test debut at the Basin Reserve, bats higher in the order. Jamieson made a big impression in the hosts' 10-wicket victory in the opener of the two-Test series, capturing 4-39 in the first innings and then scoring 44 in a rearguard action.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings, in Dubai, on Friday.