New Zealand skittled Sri Lanka out for 122 on Monday to secure a series-levelling victory by an innings and 65 runs on the final day of a rain-hit second and final Test in Colombo.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
Rookie batsman Kane Williamson and pacer Hamish Bennett were the new faces in New Zealand's 15-member Test squad announced on Sunday for a three Test match series against India next month.
Sunrisers overcame the loss of Warner in style, savouring more success than failures, to claim the top spot in the pecking order along with Chennai Super Kings.
Impressed by the good-natured New Zealand cricketers, India captain Virat Kohli says if his side were to share the number one ICC Test ranking with any team, it will be the Black Caps.
Captain Kane Williamson and Neil Broom both flirted with centuries as New Zealand cruised to an eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their third one-day international to complete a 3-0 series sweep at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Saturday.
New Zealand cricket captain Tim Southee said they were outplayed by an "ever-improving" Bangladesh in the opening Test in Sylhet and refused to blame the defeat on any fatigue from their one-day World Cup campaign in India last month.
New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch has said that Indian bowlers were using sledging as a tactic to unsettle young batsman Kane Williamson during the drawn second Test in Hyderabad.
'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.'
Kane Williamson made the difference as he finished unbeaten on a splendid 50 from 44 balls, putting on an unbroken stand of 65 runs with Jason Holder (24) to steer Sunrisers to a hard-fought victory in a difficult run chase.
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.
Washington Sundar jumped seven places to move to 46th on the same list for Test bowlers.
One of the most stylish batters, Rahul admitted that in his younger days he often tried to be something he was not.
India's middle-order mainstay Shreyas Iyer was on Tuesday nominated alongside New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra and Jacob Duffy for the ICC Player of the Month award for March following his remarkable performance in last month's Champions Trophy.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson revealed he still finds it "difficult to make sense" of the heartbreaking World Cup final loss to England last year and hasn't yet figured if the epic match should count among the highs or lows of his career. New Zealand got a raw deal in last year's World Cup final when England were adjudged the winners on the basis of their superior boundary count after the epic game and the ensuing Super Over also ended in a tie.
Kane Williamson believes the late Martin Crowe remains the greatest batsmen New Zealand has ever produced despite surpassing the former captain as his country's highest Test century maker on Friday.
Former New Zealand fast-bowling great Tim Southee is confident that the Black Caps' inexperienced bowling attack will do a wonderful job at the upcoming Champions Trophy after watching them perform impressively in the recently-concluded tri-series in Pakistan.
Williamson has been a part of few Super Overs, with the most famous being the 2019 World Cup final, which England won on boundary-countback rule.
Winners have the bragging rights but there was no such thing for Williamson who sympathised with India for paying the price for a fickle format despite consistent show.
Batsman Kane Williamson has been given the opportunity to flex his captaincy credentials after being named to lead New Zealand in their one-day international and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson will reportedly fly home from Bangladesh following a fractured left thumb, which has left him in doubt for the home series against West Indies.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson struck a quick-fire half-century as his team registered a comfortable six-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first T20 of the three-match series at the McLean Park here on Tuesday. Opting to bat first, Bangladesh made a slow start to their innings, losing opener Tamim Iqbal (11) and Imrul Kayes (duck) cheaply. Although Mahmudullah did provide his side with some resistance with his 52-run knock, Bangladesh were restricted to a score of 141 runs in their stipulated 20 overs.
A modest New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has said his team was "fortunate" to be playing on similar wickets after pulling off a dramatic victory over Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 in Dharamsala on Friday.
New Zealand spinners claimed three wickets in the morning session but India extended their advantage to a daunting 308 runs by lunch on the fourth day of the first Test at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium on Sunday.
New Zealand eye consolatory win over PNG
Stand-in White Ferns captain Amy Satterthwaite was named the women's ODI Player of the Year, after taking some time off to have a baby and returning to the fold to score 304 runs at 38, including a top score of 119 not-out against England in Dunedin.
With just a week to go until the start of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and the UAE, it sets up a tight race for the premier position for batters in 50-over cricket during the eight-team tournament.
New Zealand Cricket dropped the latest threads their team will don at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, starting October 5.
A hobbling Kane Williamson guided New Zealand to 142 for five at the close of play on the third day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hamilton, with the hosts needing another 47 runs to seal a 2-0 series sweep.
Rachin Ravindra becomes youngest recipient of Sir Richard Hadlee Medal
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson admitted that playing the second leg of Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates helped in understanding the conditions better in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.
'That's a standard we want to keep going with for the rest of tournament.'
After England collapsed from 288 for five to 302 all out, New Zealand initially struggled in reply before Williamson and Taylor took the game away from the hosts with a clinical 206-run third-wicket stand.
Sri Lanka stayed on course for victory against New Zealand in the opening test in Galle despite Rachin Ravindra's unbeaten 91 on Sunday.
Young blocked the first ball of the Abrar Ahmed over for a dot before sweeping the ball to square leg to bring up his century.
New Zealand face England-beaters Afghanistan aiming to keep their unbeaten run intact
With less than 100 days to go to the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson feels that cricketing powerhouse India will be amongst the favourites to lift the trophy.
Williamson's departure for 59 helped reduce New Zealand to 142 for three at the break -- 361 runs in arrears -- but a rain storm wiped out the final session and ensured the match would go into a fifth day.
Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has expressed confidence that Virat Kohli will have a 'big impact' on the fortunes of Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025.
New Zealand took charge on the second day of the third Test by dismissing England for 143 and making 136/3 at close of play for an overall lead of 340.
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