Australia can take the top Test ranking from India with a series victory
Veteran opening batter Paul Stirling was on Wednesday named Ireland skipper in their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA.
Australia paceman Mitchell Starc has been fined half of his match fees for throwing a ball at New Zealand batsman Mark Craig during the final day of the first Test at the Gabba.
Adam Lyth upstaged his captain Alastair Cook by scoring his maiden Test century to lift England to 253 for five at the close on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand on Saturday.
The New Zealand captain belted 18 fours and 11 sixes in his innings as he became the first New Zealand batsman to surpass 1000 Test runs in a calendar year and broke his own New Zealand record for the fastest century, which came off 74 balls.
Sarfraz Ahmed struck a defiant century before Pakistan's spinners wrecked New Zealand's top and middle order to leave the second Test in Dubai nicely poised on Thursday. New Zealand had reduced Pakistan to 287 for eight and appeared on course for a healthy first innings lead, but Sarfraz (112) added 81 runs for the last wicket with Rahat Ali to dash their hopes.
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 all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia and replaced by spinner Mark Craig, the team said on Tuesday.
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.
India frittered away a solid start as a middle-order collapse saw them reduced to 291 for 9 on the opening day of the first cricket Test against New Zealand despite half-centuries from Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara in Kanpur on Thursday.
The New Zealand team management knows what lies ahead for their players during the next six weeks in India, and it was no surprise that the spin troika of leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, off-spinner Mark Craig and left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner bowled a lot during a two-hour nets session at the Kotla in Delhi on Wednesday.
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.
Steve Smith's manager debunks former Australian captain's retirement talks
Pace bowler Jamie Overton earned his maiden international call-up as he joined his twin Craig in the England squad for the third Test against New Zealand, starting at Headingley at Leeds from June 23.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was on Thursday hit by a bug, compounding the visiting team's misery, but opener Tom Latham sounded optimistic about the batsman's availability in the second Test against India beginning in Kolkata on Friday.
Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh drove Australia to within 74 runs of a series-winning victory at the dinner-break in the third and final Test in Adelaide on Sunday after New Zealand's pacemen captured three early wickets.
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat in the Twenty20 World Cup first semi-final in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday.
Australia coach Darren Lehmann has praised captain Steve Smith's handling of an outburst by Mitchell Starc that cost the left-arm quick half his match fee from the first Test against New Zealand.
Images from Day 3 of the first Test between India and New Zealand in Kanpur, on Saturday
A defiant fifth-wicket stand of 74 between Younis Khan and Asad Shafiq ensured Pakistan secured a draw in the second Test against New Zealand on Friday to maintain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Mike Hesson has been rewarded for his successful reign as New Zealand coach with a contract extension that takes him through until after the 2019 World Cup in England.
Spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been retained in New Zealand's 12-man squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka after an impressive debut in the third and final Test against Australia.
Medium-fast bowler Michael Mason, 12th man for the series opener, is also retained.
Mohammad Hafeez continued his rich vein of form and closed in on his maiden double hundred in Tests as Pakistan reached 281 for three against New Zealand at the close on the first day of the third and final Test on Wednesday.
All-rounder Corey Anderson has been ruled out of New Zealand's tour of Australia with a back injury and been replaced by Mitchell Santner, the team said on Monday.
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham will miss the second Test against India in Kolkata due to the rib injury that kept him out of the first match in Kanpur, coach Mike Hesson said on Wednesday.
On his first visit to India, Mitchell Santner has made a good impression with his all-round performance and that's a huge positive for the New Zealand side from the Kanpur Test, captain Kane Williamson said.
Batsman Neil Broom has also been offered a contract after he was recalled to the national side following a lengthy absence to replace Ross Taylor while he recovered from eye surgery.
The only selection issue facing New Zealand as they head into the second match against India at Christchurch is likely to be whether pace bowler Kyle Jamieson, so impressive on his Test debut at the Basin Reserve, bats higher in the order. Jamieson made a big impression in the hosts' 10-wicket victory in the opener of the two-Test series, capturing 4-39 in the first innings and then scoring 44 in a rearguard action.
Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja hammered home the advantage their bowlers had established when they took Australia to 147-3, a deficit of just 36 runs, at the close of the opening day's play in the first Test against New Zealand on Friday.
India positioned themselves for a massive win in their 500th Test match by polishing off the New Zealand top-order after setting them a colossal 434-run target, on Day 4 in Kanpur.
India's batting line-up failed to recover from the early blows dealt by New Zealand's concerted bowling effort and wobbled to 239 for seven on day one of the second Test.
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori could make a surprise return to the Test arena as coach Mike Hesson considers taking three spinners into the deciding clash with Pakistan in Sharjah which starts on Wednesday.
Photos from Day 2 of the 3rd Test played at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday
Contrasting centuries by a relentless Alastair Cook and an inspired Ben Stokes lifted England to 429 for six at the close of a compelling fourth day of the first Test against New Zealand on Sunday.
George Worker compiled a brisk 62 off just 38 balls on his international debut to enable New Zealand to complete their brief limited overs tour of Zimbabwe with an easy 80-run win in their only Twenty20 international on Sunday.
Batsman Harry Brook and seamer Matthew Potts received maiden call-ups as part of the 13-man squad announced on Wednesday.
Exploiting a turning track, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja scalped three batsmen in one over to finish with a five-wicket haul while Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed four wickets as India bundled out New Zealand for 262 on day three to take control of the first Test in Kanpur.
