Swing and seam friendly conditions, a lack of truly scary Australian bowlers and New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum's retirement are all themes that will resonate when the first Test gets underway in Wellington on Friday.
Bangladesh shocked New Zealand by five wickets to keep their hopes alive of making it to the semi-finals at the ICC Champions Trophy in Cardiff, on Friday.
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.
Controversial England batsman Kevin Pietersen will be one of the first players to go under the hammer, along with senior India discards Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, when the two-day auction for the cash-rich IPL commences in Bangalore on February 12. The initial list of 651 players was pruned to 514, including 219 capped players, by the IPL governing council.
South Africa set New Zealand a daunting target of 298 runs in 43 overs.
Tom Latham struck his maiden Test century but New Zealand crumbled to 262 all out, conceding a 304-run first-innings lead as well as control of the first Test to Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Vasudevan Jagadeesh (40) and Manprit Juneja (43) put on an unbeaten 78-run partnership to help India 'A' end Day 2 in the second and final unofficial 'Test' against New Zealand 'A' on 94 for 2 at the Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy stadium in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
Hardik Pandya had a dream debut picking three crucial wickets in the first ODI against New Zealand in Dharamsala on Sunday. The 23-year old allrounder, who received the India cap from legendary allrounder Kapil Dev ahead of the game, also bagged the Man-of-the-Match award for his bowling effort. Opening the bowling for the first time in his international career, Pandya struck in his first over dismissing the dangerous Martin Guptill. "The ball was doing a lot; it was swinging. I knew if I put it in the right spots, something would happen. Two balls went for fours, but I had backed myself that something will happen. The captain was always supporting me.
Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson fell agonisingly short of centuries but New Zealand's imposing total ensured they beat Sri Lanka by 120 runs in the sixth One-day international on Sunday to take an unassailable 4-1 lead in their seven-match series.
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AB de Villiers took 31 balls to smash the fastest century in one-day internationals on Sunday as South Africa posted 439 for two wickets, their highest team total in this format, in the second ODI against West Indies at the Wanderers.
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.
Sarfraz Ahmed struck a defiant century before Pakistan's spinners wrecked New Zealand's top and middle order to leave the second Test in Dubai nicely poised on Thursday. New Zealand had reduced Pakistan to 287 for eight and appeared on course for a healthy first innings lead, but Sarfraz (112) added 81 runs for the last wicket with Rahat Ali to dash their hopes.
New Zealand's batting tail wagged to take them to 403 in their first innings before they returned to dismiss Pakistan's openers on the second day of the second Test in Dubai on Tuesday.
Chennai Super Kings' skipper MS Dhoni powered his team to a final over victory. CSK beat the hosts Mumbai Indians by four wickets at the Wankhede, Mumbai on Saturday night.
Rubel Hossain claimed six wickets including a hat-trick as Bangladesh crushed New Zealand by 43 runs in the first one-day international on Tuesday, thereby taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Virat Kohli is the lone Indian male cricketer to be shortlisted for the LG ICC Awards 2014 after he was nominated for the ODI Cricketer of the Year category.
New Zealand started their World Twenty20 campaign on a positive note, beating England by nine runs via Duckworth-Lewis method in a Group 1 league match that was called off following heavy rain and thunder storm, at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, on Saturday.
Only pride will be at stake when Delhi Daredevils host embattled Royal Challengers Bangalore in an inconsequential IPL game in New Delhi, on Sunday, with both teams seeking an end to their misfiring campaign on a positive note.
Rising Pune Supergiant, who have gone from strength to strength, will look to seal their place in the Play-offs with a win over inconsistent Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League in New Delhi, on Friday.
The calm, assured manner in which New Zealand chased down South Africa's imposing total on Tuesday to advance to their first cricket World Cup final is a hallmark of a team that has developed into a cohesive unit over the last two years.
Ishant Sharma exploited the seaming conditions brilliantly to return a career-best 6 for 51 as India took early control of the second and final Test by bowling out New Zealand for a paltry 192 in the first innings in Wellington on Friday. Opener Shikhar Dhawan then hit an unbeaten half-century as India reached 100 for 2 at close, still trailing by 92 runs at the Basin Reserve.
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A record partnership by Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson gave New Zealand victory with two balls to spare in a tense third one-dayer against Pakistan in Auckland on Sunday. The three-wicket win in the rain-abridged match also wrapped up the series for New Zealand 2-0. Initially set a target of 291 to win, New Zealand made a disastrous start with Brendon McCullum out for a first-ball duck. But Guptill and Williamson restored order with a 159-run stand, a New Zealand ODI record for the second wicket, to set the side up before a lengthy rain delay shortened the match by seven overs. When play resumed, New Zealand were set a revised target of 53 off 45 balls, which they reached with two balls to spare and with the help of a contentious umpire's call.
All-rounder Jimmy Neesham and batsman Tom Latham have been named in New Zealand's team for the second Test against India after Jesse Ryder and Doug Bracewell were dropped for a late night drinking session in Auckland last week.
Ben Stokes took two wickets in two balls to inspire England to victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's.
Team India has two members - MS Dhoni and Ishant Sharma - of that victorious 2009 side returning to New Zealand for the One-Day International series, which commences on Sunday. The hosts, however, are almost a completely overhauled unit. The teams may not appear equal on paper but the home advantage is something than should benefit New Zealand. Rajneesh Gupta presents a statistical lowdown of the teams ahead of tour opener in Napier.
Riding on the disciplined performances of their bowlers, Royal Challengers Bangalore thrashed Mumbai Indians by seven wickets for their second straight victory, in the Indian Premier League.
Supremely positive, aggressive and efficient, the Black Caps amply justified their status as the world's third-ranked Test side in a 1-1 draw with their hosts which fluctuated from the first ball to the last. New Zealand are a team to be reckoned with.
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Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar praised New Zealand for playing "outstanding" cricket throughout the World Cup, saying the Kiwis thoroughly deserved to be in the final after edging past South Africa in a battle of nerves at Auckland. It was ironic that the Johannesburg-born Elliott, 36, played a stellar knock to push his country of birth out of the World Cup race.
New Zealand opener Martin Guptill sent the ball soaring and the records tumbling by striking a World Cup record of 237.
Darren Bravo provided stubborn resistance to New Zealand's bowlers bringing up his maiden Test double century to ensure West Indies made the hosts bat again and sent the first Test at University Oval in Dunedin into a fifth and final day.
Two years ago in the World Cup, they beat and finished above England in their group to reach the quarter-finals Bangladesh run to Champions Trophy last four is reward for years of toil
Every person was tested 72 hours before they travelled in order to ensure that all members of the party were travelling virus free.
Reaction to South African AB de Villiers smashing the fastest ever one-day century in 31 balls against the West Indies at The Wanderers on Sunday.
Images from the World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand, at the MCG.
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