Captain Brendon McCullum's blistering double hundred and a record 297-run stand with centurion Kane Williamson put New Zealand firmly in control of the third and final Test against Pakistan in Sharjah on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Australia skipper Michael Clarke, who was entangled in a war of words with Cricket Australia over his availability, is still a doubtful starter for the first Test following question marks over his fitness.
The cricket fraternity from across the globe reacted with shock and sadness at the sad demise of Australian batsman Philip Hughes.
Australia thrashed England by eight wickets in their fifth and final one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday to win the series 3-2 and take some consolation for the pain of Ashes defeat.
Australian opener David Warner on Tuesday said that a good pitch coupled with India's poor bowling and fielding helped Australia.
Clarke now averages 16.71 for the series, the worst performer among Australia's recognised batsmen who have played more than two Tests in the series.
Clarke has the chance to become the first Australian captain to win an Ashes series on foreign soil since Steve Waugh in 2001.
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Australia's retiring one-day captain Michael Clarke has urged his players to put 'skill over emotion'.
New Zealand are hoping to give a better account of themselves when they take on the Indian Board President's XI in the final warm-up game on Thursday before the first One-Day International, in Mumbai on October 22.
A selection of musings from around the cricket World Cup.
Former skippers Ian Chappell and Mark Taylor feel next week's first Test between India and Australia in Brisbane should go ahead as it would help the cricketers and the fans to come out and share the mourning of the loss of Phillip Hughes.
Tragedy struck Indian cricket on Monday when a 20-year-old player died as a result of a freakish on-field collision with a team mate during a club match in Kolkata.
AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis struck sublime centuries as South Africa chased down a massive score to beat Australia by seven wickets in the second One-Day International of the triangular series on Wednesday.
Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor has come out and praised Virat Kohli for the way he marshalled the Indian team in the first Test here, saying the young batsman knows how to play cricket Down Under.
Rain played spoilsport on Day 2 of the first Test between Australia and India at the Adelaide Oval. It caused three interruptions, but in the 30 overs that were bowled, Australia captain Michael Clarke did well to fight off pain and score 128, and Steve Smith a career-best 162 not out, as India's hapless bowling attack got a beating. At stumps, Australia were 517 for 7. A look at the statistical highlights from the start-stop day.
Australia captain Michael Clarke retired hurt on 60 with a lower back injury on day one, but after a sleep-deprived night of treatment and pain-killing injections, the 33-year-old's courageous 128 helped drive the hosts to 517 for seven by stumps against India in the first Test at the Adelaide Oval.
Australia opener David Warner paid a fitting tribute to his deceased teammate Phillip Hughes, scoring a rollicking 145 before India dealt three quick blows at the fag end to share honours on an emotionally charged opening day in the first Test in Adelaide on Tuesday. Statistical highlights from the day's play.
Wealth-X found that the unborn child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge is already a billionaire, given the fortunes of the immediate members of the British royal family, including great grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, great grandfather Princes Philip, grandfather Charles and father William.
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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has named three potential bowlers to be included in the final-15 of the World Cup squad, which includes Indian-origin medium-pacer Gurinder Singh Sandhu.
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was forced to cut short his training session in the Melbourne Cricket Ground nets after being hit on the helmet by a bouncer on Tuesday, three days before the start of the third Test against India.
Hetmyer smacked three sixes and eight fours in his entertaining knock, helping his side chase down a modest target of 128.
From Rohit Sharma's record breaking double century in One-Day Internationals, the team's never-ending woes in overseas Tests, to the controversy surrounding Board of Control for Cricket in India's president-in-exile Narayanswami Srinivasan over the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal, Indian cricket had the good, bad and ugly in equal measure in 2014.
However, the former Australia captain, admitted that a good start by the Indian batsmen might pose a threat to Australia.
But former Pakistan pacer, Wasim Akram says it will be emotionally very demanding for the Australians to get back on the field.
The opener was struck twice on the helmet, once while batting on day one and then again while fielding at short leg on day three, when he was taken from the field.
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Captain Michael Clarke battled through pain to score 128 and Steve Smith produced a career-best 162 not out Australia piled up a mammoth 517 for 7 against India on a rain-truncated Day 2 in the first Test in Adelaide on Wednesday. Images from the day's play.
Hillel Awaskar, an Indian-origin international umpire and former captain of Israel's cricket team, died after being hit in the neck by a ball during a league match in the coastal city of Ashdod, just two days after the tragic death of Australian player Phil Hughes in similar circumstances.
Australia made a meal of it but successfully chased down 128 for a four-wicket victory and an unassailable 2-0 series lead after dismissing India for 224 on the fourth day of the second Test.
Australia will have to win both Tests in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to go one point clear of South Africa, who displaced them at the top in July, but there is still little clarity about the side who would walk out for the first match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Clarke was calmness personified as the pre-World Cup final media interaction turned out into a retirement conference.
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David Warner's 12th Test century and a bittersweet 95 from Chris Rogers put Australia on course for a huge total on an emotional first day in the fourth and final Test against India on Tuesday.
Cricket Australia will be understanding of players who feel uncomfortable about playing in the wake of the death of Phillip Hughes when the rescheduled India Test series starts next week, chief executive James Sutherland said on Tuesday.
Just to clear the air, the first ball of the game, each game, should just be a bouncer, reckons Merv Hughes.
People do not associate cricket with death and the shock loss of Phillip Hughes, against all rational expectation, will be the hardest thing for bowler Sean Abbott to deal with, according to trauma experts.
The Singapore Slammers took their first International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) victory at the fifth time of asking when Tomas Berdych led the home side to a thrilling 24-23 victory over the previously unbeaten Indian Aces on Wednesday.
