Batsman Neil Broom has also been offered a contract after he was recalled to the national side following a lengthy absence to replace Ross Taylor while he recovered from eye surgery.
New Zealand debutant Devon Conway crafted a century on the opening day of the first Test against England on Wednesday, with his unbeaten knock of 136 leading the visitors to 246-3 at stumps at Lord's.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Rohit Sharma has become the fastest Indian to go past 2000-run mark against Australia
The Centre decided to drop one of Mahatma Gandhi's favourite hymns Abide with me from this year's Beating Retreat ceremony as playing more Indian tunes would be appropriate in view of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, which celebrates the 75th year of India's Independence, government sources said on Sunday.
The play stopped for a brief moment at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, when a streaker came running to the pitch.
Former England player Jonathon Trott has also fulfilled a similar role with the team ahead of the Test match against Ireland, ESPN Cricinfo reported.
A summary of Sunday's action in the Premier League.
'Ajinkya has 12 centuries and more than 4,000 runs in Test cricket. So he knows his game and he has gone through such kind of bad phases before as well.'
Ben Stokes provided the gloss and Joe Root the glue as England recovered from a terrible start to reach 354 for seven at the close on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's on Thursday.
England's sporting global ambitions have never been fully realised since Sir Alf Ramsey's team won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Whether it is Gary Linekar or Hary Kane, the 'Cup' that they desperately want never came home during the last five and half decades.
Facts and figures from the men's competition at the French Open, which begins from May 25.
Here are the top 10 images from the big news that shook the world in the previous week.
Guptill will undergo a fitness Test on Sunday after which a final decision will be taken on whether he can partner Henry Nicholls at the top of New Zealand's order.
England were back to their blistering best as they defeated Pakistan by nine wickets to put themselves in a good position to qualify for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022 semi-finals.
Contrasting centuries by a relentless Alastair Cook and an inspired Ben Stokes lifted England to 429 for six at the close of a compelling fourth day of the first Test against New Zealand on Sunday.
New Zealand's three-pronged attack could spell trouble for India on a spiced-up track and Will Somerville, who played a gutsy knock in Kanpur, might have to sit out.
New Zealand's bowlers kept chipping away at the wickets to reduce India to 239 for seven on Day 1 of the second Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, on Friday. The 24-year-old from Christchurch, who replaced Ish Sodhi, dismissed Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Murali Vijay (9) in the first 50 minutes in his brilliant first spell of 6-2-14-2 as the Kiwis seamers utilised the grassy condition to full effect after Kohli opted to bat.
A mere two-bedroom apartment - albeit quite spacious, covering 3,000 square (sq.) feet (ft) - will set you back 5.8 million. That's the asking price from the Indian-owned Hinduja Group, if you desire a nest in London Whitehall's iconic Old War Office (OWO). Its 1,100 rooms are now being converted into 85 residences and a first-ever hotel to be operated in Britain by Singapore's legendary Raffles Hotels chain. Gopichand Hinduja, co-chair of the conglomerate, said: "Every decision made on The OWO (as the building is fondly called) is underscored by our passion and respect for the heritage of the building and long-term commitment to London."
IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday.
Youngsters including Shreyas Iyer, Karun Nair, keeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, teen sensation Prithvi Shaw will be keen to make a mark and impress the national selectors during Tuesday's One-Day warm-up against New Zealand in Mumbai.
Rain disrupted almost all of the second day of the first Test between New Zealand and England on Friday, with the hosts managing to extend their lead to 171 runs before they were forced from the field for good ahead of the final session.
Martin Guptill has been recalled to the New Zealand Test squad for the two-match tour of England after the top-order batsman finished top scorer at the recent 50-over cricket World Cup.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar's devastating five-wicket haul after a late batting blitzkrieg put India firmly in command as they reduced a hapless New Zealand to 128 for 7 on the rain-hit second day of the second cricket Test, in Kolkata, on Saturday.
Sri Lanka's Akila Dananjaya spun a web around New Zealand's batsmen, picking up all five wickets on a rain-shortened opening day of the first Test in Galle on Wednesday. Experienced batsman Ross Taylor held firm with an unbeaten 86 against the guile of Dananjaya to take the touring side to 203 for five when rain forced early stumps.
These images prove we live in a mad, mad world.
Thanks to Taylor's 102 and Latham's 108 (both retired out) on a flat Brabourne Stadium track, New Zealand notched up a mammoth 343 for nine in the allotted 50 overs.
Ben Stokes took two wickets in two balls to inspire England to victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's.
Images from Wednesday's World Cup match between England and New Zealand, at Chester-le-street.
The pitch sported a healthy green cover, although it looked dry underneath before being put under cover.
Rain wiped out virtually the entire third day's play in the first Test between New Zealand and England with only 17 balls bowled in Auckland on Saturday as the hosts padded their lead to 175 runs.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Alaba strike on Clasico debut gives Real Madrid 2-1 win at Barcelona.
Pace bowler Jackson Bird has been recalled by Australia for the first Test against New Zealand after James Pattinson was deemed not quite ready to stand up to the rigours of a full workload, captain Steve Smith said on Thursday.
Britain's Royal Air Force on Tuesday celebrated its centenary in London with its biggest military display. Here are some of the glimpses of the show.
Swansea City beat Arsenal 3-2 to deny super-sub Thierry Henry a magical return to the Premier League and Mark Hughes made a losing start as manager of struggling Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.
The film is set to release in July 2015
India and New Zealand will fight it out for the inaugural title at Southampton's Ageas Bowl
A brilliant performance by New Zealand's seamers and a composed run chase by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor ensured the Black Caps made history by beating India to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.
Day 1 witnessed a lot of action across events at Gold Coast. Here are some highlights -- in pictures -- from the opening day's events...
