The seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings may have lifted some of the gloom in the Kolkata Knight Riders' beleaguered camp but is not welcome news for Rajasthan Royals, who face the Brendon McCullum-led side in their must-win last league encounter, in Durban on Wednesday.
The second season of the Indian Premier League has been as much about ducks as it has been about runs.
Bad weather continued to play spoilsport at the Newlands cricket ground in Cape Town as continuous rain washed out the Indian Premier League match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, on Saturday. Brendon McCullum led Kolkata and Mahendra Singh Dhoni led Chennai got one point each after the abandonment of the tie.
India were reduced to 79 for 3, in reply to New Zealand's 619 for 9 declared, on Day 2 of the second Test. Jesse Ryder slammed 201, his maiden double century, and Brendon McCullum 115. India, who lost Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and night-watchman Ishant Sharma, trail by 540 runs.
# Thissara Perera and Suraj Randiv were making their T20 debut. They became the 35th and 36th players respectively, to represent Sri Lanka in this format of the game.
Ross Taylor's blistering 78 off 52 balls gave New Zealand a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second One-day International and an unassaible 2-0 lead in the three-match series, in Dunedin, on Monday.
IMAGES from Day 1 of the opening Ashes Test played between England and Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Friday.
India has played New Zealand in four T20 games. Guess how many India won?
Virat Kohli's unbeaten 56 off 47 balls, Yuvraj Singh's explosive 35 off 18 balls and a clinical bowling performance helped India edge out Sri Lanka by five wickets to storm into the final of Asia Cup. Kohli also equalled the record of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum of most number of 50's in T20 cricket.
With three play-offs spots already sealed by Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings and Royals Challengers Bangalore, KKR consolidated their position for the fourth and final spot, finishing their league engagements with 14 points from 14 games and an impressive net run-rate of 0.587.
Swashbuckling West Indies opener Chris Gayle smashed a blistering half-century before Yuzvendra Chahal returned with a three-wicket haul as Royal Challengers Bangalore outclassed Gujarat Lions by 21 runs in their Indian Premier League match in Bengaluru, on Tuesday.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by 22 runs in the second Twenty20 international, to clinch a 2-0 series victory on Friday.
New Zealand finished day four on 222 for five, needing another 331 to win the third Test against England.
England produced an all-round performance to level the Test series with New Zealand on Monday, winning the second match by 126 runs early on the fifth and final day at the Basin Reserve. Left arm pace bowler Ryan Sidebottom, who captured 10 wickets in the first Test in Hamilton, provided the impetus for the visitors with five wickets in New Zealand's second innings to help dismiss them for 311.
England take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
New Zealand are flying low at the World Cup and that suits them down to the ground, according to James Franklin. The seven-time semi-finalists are playing it cool in England and Wales, with the understated Kane Williamson at the helm.
West Indies cricketers have typically exuded a lackadaisical 'it's cool man' attitude to their game, yet it is New Zealand who are taking the casual approach to their World Cup quarter-final, according to Daniel Vettori.
Royal Challengers Bangalore bundled out Rajasthan Royals for the lowest total in the IPL history. It was also the second lowest total in any twenty20 game.
VVS Laxman scored an unbeaten 124 and Yuvraj Singh 54 as India played out a draw with New Zealand in the second Test in Napier on Monday. India had a lead of 162. With no hope of a result both captain agreed to call of the match with 17 overs remaining.
India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets on Day 4 of the first Test to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Saturday. Harbhajan Singh returned a six-wicket haul as New Zealand were dismissed for 279 in their second innings. India then chased down the required 39 runs for victory in 5.2 overs. Gautam Gambhir was unbeaten on 30 and Rahul Dravid on 8.
Brendon McCullm again top-scored as New Zealand beat India by five wickets in the second T20 match and won the series 2-0.
New Zealand fans were offered a letter of consent from Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum to get them off work.
New Zealand beat Australia by six wickets in the second ODI at the MCG on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Australia's fifth successive defeat meant that India displace them from the No 2 spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
Australia completed a clean sweep in the Test series against New Zealand as the hosts beat the Kiwis by an innings and 62 runs in the second Test at Adelaide on Monday.
Opener Aaron Redmond scored a well made 83 as New Zealand ended the opening day at a score of 262 for the loss of 6 wickets during the second Test against Australia in Adelaide on Friday. Lower-order batsmen Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori stayed unbeaten on 30 and 12 respectively at the end of the day's play.
Brendon McCullum's dismissal in the final over of the day put Australia firmly in control of the first Test in Wellington on Sunday, as New Zealand were reduced to 178-4, still 201 runs behind the tourists' mammoth first innings of 562.
India ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will join compatriot Virender Sehwag and a host of other international cricketers for a charity match at the Kia Oval on September 17.
The World Cup opener is set to be another barnstorming meeting between two of the favourites -- and a fitting way to start a cricketing feast.
Hamish Marshall and Nathan Astle both made centuries as New Zealand piled on 561, their sixth highest total in Test cricket.
Fleming missed the first three games in the series as part of a rotational policy designed to help preparations for the World Cup in March.
Kevin Pietersen's inventive 110 not out, which included two unorthodox left-handed sixes, helped steer England to a 114-run win over New Zealand in the first one-day international at Durham on Sunday. England took the lead in the five-match series after the Kiwis, replying to England's 307 for five, failed to threaten their target and were all out for 193. Brendon McCullum top-scored with 36 while Paul Collingwood took four for 15.
New Zealand were struggling for survival at the close of the third day of the third and final Test against England on Saturday after they were asked to follow on.
England's all-rounder Chris Woakes desperately wants to be a part of the English side in the fourth Ashes Test starting from July 19 in Manchester.
Riding high on a comfortable win over Dolphins in their last encounter, Chennai Super Kings will look to keep the momentum going when they lock horns with Lahore Lions in the Champions League T20.
Five New Zealand players have been given permission to miss the start of this year's tour of England to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has agreed to let their IPL-signed players: Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills and Ross Taylor arrive in England a week later than their team mates.
England were bowled out for 293 early in the morning session setting New Zealand a mammoth victory target of 438.
Batsman Harry Brook and seamer Matthew Potts received maiden call-ups as part of the 13-man squad announced on Wednesday.
Kyle Mills ripped the top off England's batting and Chris Martin took two wickets in an over to bowl England out for 110 and give New Zealand a 189-run victory on the final day of the first Test on Sunday. It was New Zealand's biggest victory margin in terms of runs against England, surpassing the 83-run win at the Oval in 1999.
Jamie How scored a superb 139 as New Zealand and England played out a thrilling draw in their fourth one-day international at Napier on Wednesday.
His duel with India stalwart Virat Kohli will be an interesting sub-plot of the match.
