New Zealand bowler Lockie Ferguson joined Canada skipper Saad Bin Zafar as only the second bowler in T20I history to bowl each of the allotted four overs as maidens, returning figures of 4-4-0-3. Zafar recorded 4-4-0-2.
New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner showered praise on Michael Bracewell for adjusting to flat tracks after the spinner bagged four wickets in their comprehensive Champions Trophy win over Bangladesh on Monday.
Daryl Mitchell's 129 and a 98 from skipper Tom Latham helped the Black Caps to an imposing 336-5 but Fakhar's fluent 180 from 144 balls and half centuries from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan got Pakistan across the line with 10 balls to spare.
Afghanistan boast of an arsenal of high-class spinners including skipper Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.
Former player Ian Smith questioned New Zealand's preparations for the T20 World Cup.
Conway's 78 from 108 balls on a grassy pitch gave the hosts a flying start
Former New Zealand fast bowler Geoff Allott says the national team's performance in the World Cup has brought the 'lost fans' back to the game.
Woeful India dismissed for 46 as New Zealand pacers run riot
History is going to be made on Sunday, regardless of the result in the ICC Men's Cricket Word Cup final at Lord's. Neither England nor New Zealand have ever tasted victory on the big stage before so there will be a new name on the trophy tonight.
Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson picked up three wickets each as New Zealand trounced Afghanistan by 149 runs.
Boult and his team mates had already been eliminated before their nine-wicket win over Uganda, and the 34-year-old revealed he will not return to the competition.
Images from the ICC Men's ODI World Cup match between New Zealand and the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Monday.
Shubman Gill was batting on 31 while Rishabh Pant was not out on one at stumps after India had come back into the game with Jadeja claiming 5-65 and Washington Sundar bagging 4-81.
This was only the eighth time in Test cricket history that a match was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The Australians still managed to score at a fair pace and will resume on Monday on 77-4 with Mitch Marsh, who was 27 not out, and Travis Head, unbeaten on 17, looking to cut deeper into their 279-run victory target.
Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson hit fifties as New Zealand thrashed Pakistan by 46 runs in the first T20 International.
New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a foot injury on Tuesday in a major blow for the Black Caps.
Kane Williamson is too long in the tooth to get dragged into the debate over India getting to play the Champions Trophy final in Dubai.
The most interesting aspect of the contest is the form of batters from both sides which has been the reason of their success so far.
Kane Williamson has stepped down as captain of New Zealand's white-ball teams
The win also pushed the Black Caps firmly into contention for one of two berths in June's inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord's.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and women's all-rounder Amelia Kerr picked up national player-of-the-year awards at a ceremony in Auckland on Thursday.
Sri Lanka stayed on course for victory against New Zealand in the opening test in Galle despite Rachin Ravindra's unbeaten 91 on Sunday.
The dead rubber New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground at least offers a chance for New Zealand to reset
Images from the T20 World Cup Group C match between the West Indies and New Zealand in Trinidad on Thursday.
'I think there's a lot of other people that had England and India in the final right from the start, so I think Australia will be proud of their efforts as well.'
New Zealand have reached the final of the last two World Cups and beat India to reach the title-decider in 2019, Ferguson's breakout tournament.
New Zealand set Pakistan a tricky target of 319 and then landed two late blows to boost their hopes of a series-clinching victory in the second Test on Thursday.
Bangladesh's first win in any format of the game in New Zealand gave them a 1-0 lead in the two-match series
Hosts England lock horns with New Zealand at the Riverside with both sides knowing that victory would secure their passage.
Shaping strategies to suit different oppositions and venues will be key for every team during the World Cup and New Zealand have an Indian, who is familiar with conditions and owns the data to assist them -- Saurabh Walkar, their performance analyst.
The win over Ireland saw New Zealand grab the top spot with seven points and a net runrate of +2.113.
An unwell Trent Boult skipped the New Zealand cricket team's training session at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Monday, staying away from the squad as a precautionary measure. The left-arm pacer is among eight players including Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, who are attending the first half of the camp that started on Sunday.
New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner feels assessing the conditions in Dharamsala and countering an in-form Rohit Sharma will be vital as they eye the "tough" task of beating India at home during their World cup clash on Sunday.
New Zealand authorities have begun easing social restrictions in recent weeks with COVID-19 cases slowing to a trickle, and sports have been given the green light to restart domestic competitions.
Frustrated after being dismissed, New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway hit his own bat. Taken for X-rays earlier today, it was confirmed that he had broken his fifth metacarpal in his right hand.
Rishabh Pant on Wednesday overtook his superstar India teammate Virat Kohli to reach the sixth spot in the ICC Test rankings for batters.
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson said his side have every chance of derailing India in a major final once again.
Check out the head to head record between the World Cup finalists.
Rachin Ravindra, who reached the half century mark for the second time in his short test career and was 56 not out at stumps, will resume on day four alongside Daryl Mitchell, who was unbeaten on 12, in a partnership worth 52 runs.
