Former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori believes a quick start will be crucial to their hopes against India in the first semi-final at Old Trafford.
New Zealand named uncapped wicketkeeper Reece Young in their 13-man squad for the home Test series against Pakistan. Gareth Hopkins makes way for Young after failing to impress on the Black Caps' recent tour of India.
New Zealand's stand-in skipper Ross Taylor was disappointed after the Black Caps crashed to their seventh consecutive One-day International defeats in Guwahati, but hoped to get their act together before the forthcoming World Cup in February.
'It's not too many Chinaman bowlers going around and those coming in have all been fairly successful. It's a challenge that the guys are looking forward to'
New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum believes that the injury curse, which fell upon the Black Caps during the Champions Trophy, has given way to some fresh talent.
New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor on Monday said the tri-series in Sri Lanka would earn Black Caps some valuable experience of playing in sub-continent conditions before the 2011 World Cup.
'We've put ourselves in this situation but hopefully the Sri Lankans can do the job for us.'
New Zealand's 2-0 series defeat on home pitches by Australia was a disappointing end to the Brendon McCullum era and showed the Black Caps have work to do if they hope to consistently challenge the top test nations.
Unbeaten in seven Test series since 2013, New Zealand are widely viewed to have their best chance in a good while to secure a second series victory on Australian soil to go with the Richard Hadlee-inspired 1985 triumph.
Despite being low on confidence after a spree of losses in the run-up to the World Cup, New Zealand are unlikely to face any real threat from minnows Kenya when the two teams clash in their opening Group 'A' league match in Chennai on Sunday.
Neither side will be at full strength, as a string of first-team players will be missing due to injuries, when India and New Zealand meet in the opening match of the ODI series on Wednesday in Hamilton.
'It gave the viewers that spectacle, with three possible results going into the final session. I think we saw similar characteristics on this wicket when we played against England.'
After a spectacular win against India under their belt, New Zealand will look to continue their sparkling show when they clash with hosts Sri Lanka in the second match of the cricket tri-series in Dambulla on Friday.
New Zealand has moved the fourth one-day international against South Africa away from Napier's McLeanPark after an investigation into an abandoned match against Australia found problems with drainage and irrigation at the venue.
Eight-time hockey champions, India will open their campaign against The Netherlands on July 30 in the men's competition at the London Olympics.
In addition to the Karnataka batsman, leg-spinner Karn Sharma, who has been in great form for India A against the Black caps A side, was called as a replacement for injured Rajasthan youngster Rahul Chahar.
Ian Butler kept his cool to bowl New Zealand to victory, virtually shutting defending champions Pakistan out of the competition.
As Mohammed Shami walked back to the top of his run-up, Virat Kohli geed the fans at the Wankhede Stadium to go full throat with their chants - Shaamii! Shaamii! They obliged merrily.
He became the first New Zealand batsman to score a triple hundred and skipper Brendon McCullum has admitted that the epic innings will be etched in his memory for the rest of his life.
New Zealand's pulsating form in the Cricket World Cup is sparking a surge of ticket sales.
New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum has said his team delivered at "key times" under pressure during their 15-run victory against India in the second cricket one-dayer in Hamilton to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
New Zealand have started the series well, by winning the opening One-Day International, but their star batsman Ross Taylor knows that India can bounce back in the second game in Hamilton on Wednesday as conditions are more likely to favour the visitors.
Australia captain Aaron Finch says he is more likely than not to play in Friday's crunch Twenty20 World Cup Super 12 match against Afghanistan, despite suffering a hamstring strain on Tuesday.
In a tight season for India, the first T20 comes only five days after their last ODI against Australia at home.
English wicketkeeper Matt Prior has confessed that he felt uncomfortable at being singled out as the Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season.
'These (Australia and New Zealand) two series I have learnt a lot. I might not have bowled a lot but I learnt to bowl in different conditions. In batting, just watching seniors like Virat (Kohli), Rohit (Sharma) and (MS) Dhoni, how they go about their job, I learnt a lot'
Kyle Jamieson scored a vital partnership with Ross Taylor and then took 2-42 to seal the victory.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will be eager to grab a consolation win to boost their morale.
India's new T20 captain Rohit Sharma doesn't foresee any change in Virat Kohli's role as a batter in the new set-up and expects his predecessor to continue dishing out impactful performances.
After two months of mainly settled weather in New Zealand's capital, heavy rain began falling early on Friday and ending any hopes of the game beginning on time at 11 a.m. (2200 GMT).
Brimming with confidence after a clean-sweep in the Test series, India will look to carry on their dominance over New Zealand when the two teams lock horns in the first cricket One-day International of the five-match series, in Dharamsala on Sunday.
Describing India as the "wobbling world champions", the New Zealand media has hailed the Black Caps' comprehensive 4-0 win over the visiting side.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
For the Indian captain and his team, the WTC final is like their Test debuts as young players trying to come up the ranks.
The immensely talented Shreyas Iyer enhanced his reputation of a finisher with a scintillating 29-ball-58, as India crushed New Zealand by six wickets in a high-scoring first T20 International in Auckland on Friday. Iyer built on KL Rahul's (56 off 27 balls) blazing start and Virat Kohli's useful 45 off 32 balls as India made short work of a 204-run target, knocking it off with an over to spare.
Penpix of the New Zealand squad for the cricket World Cup which they will co-host with Australia.
Russell had opted out of the three-match T20I series against India due to an injury, but he turned up for Vancouver Knights to play in the T20 tournament in Canada.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has injured his ankle and is a doubt for his side's Twenty20 matches against England next week.
