Colin Munro blasted New Zealand's fastest Twenty20 half century to surpass a mark set by Martin Guptill earlier in the innings as the hosts swept their two-match series against Sri Lanka with a nine-wicket win in Auckland on Sunday.
'It was still touch and go when I went out there to bat; to get through that hard period and Kane's been a fantastic captain and ambassador for the game and our country.'
New Zealand will be banking on injured pace bowlers Trent Boult (hand), Matt Henry (thumb) and Lockie Ferguson (calf) coming back into contention for the Tests
'If he couldn't plan a successful strategy for a home series, how will he manage in a more challenging away series?', asks veteran cricket correspondent K R Nayar.
New Zealand comfortably beat India by six wickets in a World Cup warm-up match at The Oval in London on Saturday after restricting the Virat Kohli-led side to 179.
Australia defeated New Zealand by eight wickets to win their maiden Twenty20 World Cup title on Sunday.
IMAGES from the first semi-final of the ICC World Cup played between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.
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.
With spin expected to have an impact on the outcome of the opening Test starting in Kanpur on Thursday, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is hoping that the lessons learnt during the World Twenty20 in India will help his side's spinners counter the hosts. New Zealand had reached the semi-finals of World T20 and Mitchel Santner (4/11 in 4 overs) had recorded the best figures for a Kiwi spinner in Twenty20s en route to their knock out stage appearance. Those figures had come for a winning cause against India in Nagpur and he was well supported by Ish Sodhi, who took three wickets in that match. These two spinners -- Santner and Sodhi -- will challenge the Indian batting line-up in this Test series.
It's a 'shame' that Sunrisers Hyderabad could not make the IPL final believes batsman Kane Williamson but asserted that the side can take pride in its remarkable fightback to make the play-offs after the early struggle in the tournament.
Kiwi Ross Taylor's mammoth 290 in the WACA Test against Australia, propelled him to the top-10 list
Factbox on World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval.
'You play according to the conditions that are in front of you'
Persistent rain forced the abandonment of the first day's play of the first cricket Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday. Play had been expected to begin at 1100 (2200 GMT), but heavy rain overnight ensured it did not begin as scheduled. While groundstaff, who had said earlier they would need two hours to prepare the venue once rain stopped, worked to prepare the ground during brief interludes of fine weather throughout the day, umpires decided at their second pitch inspection at 1600 there was no chance of any play.
Jasprit Bumrah's appointment as India's stand-in Test captain is a 'courageous decision' based on his 'tactical nous', and his leadership duel with England skipper Ben Stokes is providing a fascinating sidelight to an entertaining game in Birmingham, said the legendary Ian Chappell.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said though his team played well in the ODI and T20 series and put up a good fight but were not good enough in both the deciding rubbers.
Former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum feels the Black Caps were 'a little bit timid' against Australia in the T20 World Cup final, saying they brought a gun to the fight, except they 'didn't fire the bullets'.
The function was attended by Hon Grant Robertson, Minister for Sports and Recreation of New Zealand, ICC Chief Executive David Richardson, New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive David White and Event Brand Ambassador Corey Anderson among others.
Pakistan will not only have to win the remaining three matches, starting with New Zealand, but also hope that the results in other matches favour them to salvage any hopes of a semi-final berth.
Durban's Super Giants pip Pretoria Capitals
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.
Dhoni was picked as captain of ODI and Twenty20 teams of the decade, while Virat Kohli was named the leader in Tests.
Penpix of the New Zealand squad for the cricket World Cup which they will co-host with Australia.
The romance of finishing his career by leading New Zealand into one last battle against Australia on home soil persuaded Brendon McCullum to bow out of international cricket before next year's World Twenty20.
The Indian batting line-up's soft underbelly lay exposed in slightly favourable bowling conditions as New Zealand gave the two-time champions a rude wake-up call, easing to a six-wicket victory in the World Cup warm-up match at the Oval, in London, on Saturday.
The top-order has struggled immensely to contribute runs. In the opener, the Kiwis seemed down and out at 131-6, before number seven Michael Bracewell played a blinder to almost take them over the line.
New Zealand had it all under control in the third T20, with two runs needed off four balls and six wickets in hand to overhaul India's total, but they faltered.
England will need to defeat Namibia in their last league match and hope that Scotland lose to Australia.
Carlos Brathwaite struck a brilliant century but West Indies still lost to New Zealand by five runs in a thrilling finish, in the World Cup match, in Manchester, on Saturday.
South Africa skittled New Zealand's tail to dismiss their hosts for 211 and take a shock first-innings lead of 31 runs on day two of the second Test at Seddon Park on Wednesday.
Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne obstinately defied New Zealand's bowlers for much of the second day of the first Test at University Oval in Dunedin on Friday though the hosts still have the upper hand.
A desperate Indian team will pray for a rain-free third and final ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday in its bid to finish on an even keel in a series that neither had context nor any major takeaways.
World number one India suffered a seven-wicket defeat in less than three days as New Zealand completed a 2-0 series sweep in the second Test, in Christchurch, on Monday. India were all out for 124 in their second innings to set New Zealand an easy target of 132 to win the match. The hosts cruised to victory, with openers Tom Latham (52) and Tom Blundell (55) both hitting half-centuries.
Pace bowler Trent Boult was among six Black Caps players making a low-key homecoming at Auckland airport, soaking up commiserations from a few fans and well-wishers.
Injured New Zealand pace bowlers Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson are "tracking nicely" as the side begin their preparations for the Test series against India, according to captain Kane Williamson. Both missed the Twenty20 and One-Day International series against India but Williamson said there are hopes they could be available for the first match against the world's top ranked Test team that starts on February 21 in Wellington.
Tim Southee picked up five wickets as India suffered another batting failure to lose the opening Test against New Zealand by 10 wickets, on Day 4, in Wellington, on Monday. Needing just nine runs for the win, New Zealand eased to victory in just 1.4 overs to finish the game with one full day and a half to spare and take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Kane Williamson highlighted the difference in Virat Kohli in comparison to 2008 when he made his ODI debut.
Debutant Rachin Ravindra and number 11 batsman Ajaz Patel survived intense pressure to help New Zealand draw the opening Test against India in Kanpur on Monday.
The ICC Champions Trophy is set to kick off in Pakistan, marking the country's first ICC event since the 1996 World Cup.
McClenaghan and Milne last featured in the 50-over format for New Zealand in early 2016 and missed a majority of last year's fixtures through injuries.
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