Swing and seam friendly conditions, a lack of truly scary Australian bowlers and New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum's retirement are all themes that will resonate when the first Test gets underway in Wellington on Friday.
Championship side Derby County hit back from two goals down to beat Premier League Southampton on penalties in an FA Cup third-round replay marred by another VAR controversy on Wednesday.
Pakistan smashed their third highest One-day total of 364 in a crushing 147-run win over New Zealand to move 2-1 up in the five-match series on Sunday.
The 90th Annual Academy Awards have been announced. A quick glance at the winners, listed in bold.
Dunkirk may have been missed at the year's earlier awards shows, but thanks god, Chris Nolan's classic gets enough play at the Oscar noms.
Brisbane Heat's Champions League Twenty20 campaign suffered a huge setback after a four-run defeat to South Africa's Titans, in Mohali, on Tuesday. Chasing a modest 124 for victory, the Australian side lost wickets in a heap after dismissal of skipper James Hopes, who hit a defiant 37, and tasted their second straight defeat in the tournament.
Nikhil Lakshman remembers the times he spent with the legendary writer who passed into the ages six days before his 86th birthday.
Cricket is a team sport, but there are instances where an individual performance outdid all. Such efforts, coincidentally, occur at critical junctures, and turn the outcome of the game on its head. Rediff.com takes a look at few such one-man shows at the World Cup.
Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes fired home a late penalty to rescue a point for the visitors in a lively 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Friday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on Saturday
Australia may unleash an all-pace attack against Pakistan for the series-opening day-night Test in Brisbane, home captain Steve Smith said.
Bad light and intermittent rain led to substantial loss of play with only 25.3 overs bowled on day four.
Opener Murali Vijay hit a half-century as India's batsmen survived some intense pressure from Australia's bowlers on the last day to draw the fourth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.
The 87th Annual Academy Awards have been announced. Here's a quick glance at the winners.
IMAGES from Day 4 of the fourth Test between South Africa and Australia in Johannesburg on Monday
Appa has plenty of heartwarming moments and some great performances, feels S Saraswathi.
Images from the Champions League football matches played on Wednesday night.
Having set the visitors an impossible 603-run victory target, Pakistan claimed the remaining six wickets in a little over a session on the final day to secure their first Test series victory against Australia in 20 years.
Quinton de Kock shone on a gloomy day in Hobart with a sparkling century that propelled South Africa to a commanding 203-run lead over Australia at lunch on day three of the second Test on Monday. - Scorecard: The wicketkeeper-batsman's 104, in a defiant 144-run partnership with Temba Bavuma, frustrated Australia's bowlers for nearly the entire session at Bellerive Oval before he was bowled by Josh Hazlewood. Bavuma was 74 not out at the break, with paceman Vernon Philander on three, the Proteas having taken full advantage of a bloodless bowling display to push to 288 for six.
Southampton's rich vein of form in the Premier League continued as they beat Burnley 3-1 with two goals from Charlie Austin on Sunday while another promoted side, Middlesbrough, fared just as poorly, losing 1-0 at home to Watford.
Chelsea's new signing Gonzalo Higuain netted his first two Premier League goals in Chelsea's 5-0 thrashing of Huddersfield Town while Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min struck late for a 1-0 win over Newcastle United as they moved into second place.
'Soul might not win trophies. But, unlike trophies, soul actually matters,' says Shougat Dasgupta.
James Pattinson has the full support of the Australian team in his battle against over-stepping and they expect him to come out and "blow the game apart" in New Zealand's second innings, according to off-spinner Nathan Lyon.
North Korean pair Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik ended their Olympic adventure winning over the home crowd's hearts.
A quick look at the Oscar 2015 nominations.
Which films are *you* rooting for?
A relieved Australia captured Pakistan's last two wickets to win a captivating first day-night Test in Brisbane by 39 runs on Monday but the touring side won huge admiration for their dogged fourth innings resistance.
The complete set of winners on Oscar night!
Brendon McCullum blasted the fastest Test century to rescue New Zealand before Australia were reduced to 57 for one by the close of day one of the second Test on Saturday.
The tri-series in Australia, India's final ODI engagement before the World Cup, gets underway on January 16, says Chandresh Narayanan, casting a fascinating look at the survivors from earlier World Cups.
The leaden-footed Australians found themselves bamboozled by Pakistan's wily spinners and their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand can expect similar treatment from Misbah-ul-Haq and his men in a three-Test series starting in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Australia batsman Adam Voges produced a Man of the Match performance as they emphatically beat West Indies by nine wickets in the first Test in Dominica on Friday
Liverpool took over at the top of the Premier League table despite being held to a 0-0 draw against Manchester United in a scrappy match on Sunday.
Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood pleaded guilty to a dissent charge after launching an expletive-laden tirade when a decision went against him in the second Test versus New Zealand on Tuesday.
India's reluctance to accept the Decision Review System in its current form has cost them what would have been a crucial, match-changing wicket in their loss to Australia at the WACA Ground on Tuesday. The home side were in trouble at 2-21 in the fifth over chasing 310 for victory when debutant quick Barinder Sran and India's fielders appealed for a leg-side catch from George Bailey's first ball. A muted appeal from captain and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni may have contributed to the not out decision from umpire Richard Kettleborough, but replays showed a clear deflection from Bailey's glove.
Barring Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, all players have declared their allegiances to IPL franchises over their respective countries' domestic sides ahead of the upcoming Champions League Twenty20.
Into The Storm offers quite a sensational depiction of multiple tornadoes but where plotlines and performances are concerned, it's distressingly sloppy.
Naan Sigappu Manithan has an honest narrative, excellent performances and many twists and turns that keep you entertained
An all-round effort from Team India saw the hosts bundle out Australia for 112 runs and record a superb 75-run win on Day 4 of the 2nd Test in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Here are the statistical highlights from Day 4 of the match.
United down Newcastle after Saints stun Chelsea on a dramatic night in the English Premier League.
