England batsman Jonny Bairstow was pleased to finally take SunRisers Hyderabad home after scoring an unbeaten 56-ball 63 against Punjab Kings in Chennai on Wednesday.
In the longest format of the game, Babar is ranked fifth in the world, behind Australia's Marnus Labuschagne and the 'Big Four' of India's Virat Kohli, England's Joe Root, Australia's Steve Smith and New Zealand's Kane Williamson.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson feels that one can "learn a lot" by watching his contemporary Virat Kohli's stellar performances in the ongoing ICC World T20.
New Zealand are flying low at the World Cup and that suits them down to the ground, according to James Franklin. The seven-time semi-finalists are playing it cool in England and Wales, with the understated Kane Williamson at the helm.
Explosive all-rounder Ben Stokes and relentless run accumulator Steve Smith could not be more different in their approaches to the game but both roared back from personally adversity to bestride an extraordinary cricketing year. Virat Kohli and his men top the confused and confusing World Test Championship table with seven wins in as many matches, including their first pink-ball Test against Bangladesh last month. That victory marked their 12th consecutive Test series win at home.
A first T20 series victory in New Zealand will be the icing on the cake for the Men in Blue, who have far exceeded expectations during their three-month sojourn in this part of the world.
The game features two of the world's leading batsmen captaining their sides in Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson, as well as a pair of strike bowlers at the top of their game in Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.
Images from the Day Two of the second and final Test between New Zealand and India, at the Basin Reserve, in Wellington, on Saturday.
New Zealand are looming as the popular dark horses for the cricket World Cup.
Check out the head to head record between the World Cup finalists.
Put in to bat, India's rejigged top order wilted in no time and the 2007 champions crawled to 110-7 in 20 overs in the Super 12 match. The below-par total was unlikely to test New Zealand's batting might and so it proved.
The Indian fans could get a glimpse of the immensely talented Shubman Gill in the senior team jersey if he is chosen to replace Virat Kohli for Thursday's fourth ODI against New Zealand.
New Zealand last toured Pakistan in 2003 for a white-ball series and since then have avoided touring the country because of security reasons.
Former all-rounder Tom Moody on Saturday picked India's Rohit Sharma and fellow Australian David Warner as best opening batsmen in T20 cricket.
India, Australia and Bangladesh are out of the competition, so the runs of Sharma, Warner, and Shakib will remain the same, whereas Root and Williamson will play in the final of the World Cup.
Openers Martin Guptill and Colin Munro hit unbeaten half-centuries as New Zealand thrashed Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in their World Cup opener in Cardiff on Saturday.
Brendon McCullum's inspirational captaincy has lifted New Zealand and the flamboyant batsman should continue leading the side in all three formats at least until next year's World Twenty20, former captain Stephen Fleming said.
Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor got some valuable time at the wicket as New Zealand did what they needed to looking ahead to the World Cup quarter-finals with a six-wicket victory over Afghanistan at McLean Park on Sunday.
Images from the first One-Day International between New Zealand and India in Hamilton, on Wednesday.
Former international umpire Simon Taufel claimed that a 'clear mistake' was made by the umpires in the Sunday's ICC World Cup final, which saw England edge past New Zealand on boundaries after a tied Super Over.
'It is something special because after COVID-19, and six-seven months of staying at home and nothing to do, to be back with Sunrisers.'
Relishing every bit of the IPL experience in his debut season, Sun Risers Hyderabad's New Zealand import Kane Williamson is mighty impressed by the local talent available in the Sun TV-owned side.
Tom Latham and Colin de Grandhomme guided New Zealand to a series-sweeping nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second Test in Christchurch on Monday after the visitors suffered another second-innings collapse on the fourth day.
Sri Lanka bid to sweep New Zealand and reach WTC final
While both Taylor and Latham were unable to see their side through to victory, Mitchell Santner, who scored just two from his first nine deliveries then scored another 43 from the next 18, won the game with his fourth six and finished on 45 not out.
Bairstow, who scored 138 in the fourth game in Dunedin, smashed a 58-ball century with eight boundaries and six sixes as he combined with Alex Hales (61) in a 155-run opening stand in perfect batting conditions.
Australia's former national selector Mark Waugh also picked the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand for their ability to perform well in all departments.
Virat Kohli is going through a rare lean phase in his career, but Sharma is unperturbed and feels that the Indian captain will bounce back.
Dale Steyn grabbed five wickets to lead South Africa to a convincing 204 run-victory over New Zealand in the second test at Centurion on Tuesday that sealed a 1-0 win in the series. Set an unlikely target of 400 to win the match, New Zealand were bowled out for 195 with a day to spare as South Africa kept in tact their record of never losing a series against the Kiwis.
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.
One of the primary focus of Monday's encounter could be the inclusion of Indian cricket's latest enfant terrible Hardik Pandya, who is coming back from provisional suspension for his loose talk on a TV chat show.
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
'The conditions were very wet, so credit to the bowlers. I have bowled a lot, going forward I want to see more bowling options. This will not work always but I want more batters to chip in with the ball.'
The World Cup opener is set to be another barnstorming meeting between two of the favourites -- and a fitting way to start a cricketing feast.
India beat New Zealand by six runs in the rain-curtailed match to claim the series 2-1. India had beaten the Kiwis in the ODIs with the same margin.
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