Kane Williamson hit a century and Luke Ronchi smashed 24 runs off one explosive over when the match was still in the balance to steer New Zealand to a four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the fourth One-Day International in Nelson on Tuesday.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in the first T20I of the three-match series in Pallekele.
New Zealand batsman Henry Nicholls said the ODI squad did not carry the baggage of the T20 side which was blanked by India and that reflected in its highest run chase in 50-overs cricket, in the series opener in Hamilton, on Wednesday. Riding on Ross Taylor's 21st hundred, the hosts chased down their highest total in ODIs on Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second ODI will be played in Auckland on Saturday.
Back-up opener Luke Ronchi made his case for selection in the first Test with a cracking century as New Zealand's only warm-up match of the India tour ended in a draw against Mumbai at the Feroze Shah Kotla in New Delhi on Sunday. Ronchi's racy 107-run knock was the highlight of the New Zealand second innings which ended at 235 all out in 66.4 overs on the third and final day, providing the visiting side more batting practice ahead of the first Test beginning in Kanpur on September 22.
New Zealand's Colin Munro and Ish Sodhi have started the year with a bang after vaulting to the top of the ICC T20I Player Rankings for batsmen and bowlers respectively, following stellar performances in the series against the West Indies, which recently concluded at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday.
Jasprit Bumrah produced a master-class in limited-overs bowling to lead India to a seven-run victory over New Zealand in their fifth Twenty20 international. Images from the fifth T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Rohit Sharma belted two sixes off the final two deliveries of a Super Over to give India victory in a thrilling finish in the third Twenty20 international against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday and clinch the series with two games to spare. Images from the third T20 between India and New Zealand, at Hamilton, on Wednesday.
Factbox on World Cup match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval.
Australia dismissed New Zealand for 302 in the second innings to win the second Test by 176 runs. Man of the match Mitchell Johnson claimed 6-73 for a total of 10 in the Test.
Kolkata Knight Riders, who have lost their last four games, need to get back to winning ways and keep their hopes alive of making it to the play-offs.
Pakistan were 134 for two in reply to New Zealand's first innings 356, built on a century from Daniel Vettori, in the second Test on Sunday. At stumps on day two, Pakistan trailed New Zealand by 222 with eight wickets in hand.
New Zealand's pacemen struck back with two late wickets under the floodlights at Adelaide Oval but Australia's bowlers basked in the sun as the inaugural day-night Test opened on Friday.
A confident Delhi are coming off two back-to-back victories against Royal Challengers Bangalore and a strong Kolkata Knight Riders outfit.
Statistical highlights of the Champions Trophy Group B match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
Sunrsiers' middle-order has hardly been tested and when the opportunity came against Mumbai Indians, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda and Yusuf Pathan fell flat.
However, Mumbai will take heart from the fact that they defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings, their first loss in four games, in the last match.
Aggressive batsman Jesse Ryder has returned to the New Zealand side after a doping suspension and an absence of nearly two years when he was included on Thursday in the limited overs squad for matches against West Indies later this month.
New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson scored the quickest century ever in international cricket on Wednesday, taking just 36 balls against West Indies, to break the record long held by Pakistan's Shahid Afridi.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
On Sunday at Lord's, however, he played one of the all-time great World Cup innings -- not once but twice -- as England won the trophy for the first time on boundary count following a Super Over after tieing twice with New Zealand.
Rajasthan's campaign started on a controversial note when Jos Buttler became the first cricketer in the IPL to be 'Mankaded', the practice of running out non-strikers, who back up early, by bowlers on their delivery stride.
India will strive to play with the same grit they displayed in the second match in Pune when they square off against New Zealand in the third and final One-Day International of the series, in Kanpur, on Sunday.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has sent out a clear warning to his team ahead of its tour of India: either adapt quickly to the conditions or be taught a harsh lesson by the world's No.1 side.
Tom Latham and Luke Ronchi lifted a New Zealand side bristling with attacking intent to 297 for eight at the close on a rain-disrupted first day of the second Test against England at Headingley on Friday.
Corey Anderson's all-round show helped New Zealand thump Pakistan by 95 runs in the deciding Twenty20 international in Wellington on Friday and bag the three-match series 2-1.
Comeback man David Warner will be the cynosure of all eyes when last year's finalist Sunrisers Hyderabad open their campaign against two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the 12th Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, o
David Warner's inputs and influence on the team members makes him an important part of the leadership group at Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A superb 91 by Martin Guptill guided New Zealand to a three-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third One-Day International at the AMI stadium in Christchurch on Thursday. The victory, which gave the hosts a 3-0 series win, was, however, not as easy as in the first two ODIs, as the tourists, who put up 241 for 9 after being inserted in, were competitive right through.
Ross Taylor's blistering 78 off 52 balls gave New Zealand a five-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the second One-day International and an unassaible 2-0 lead in the three-match series, in Dunedin, on Monday.
New Zealand's worst peacetime mass killing rippled through the country's top-class sports on Saturday with two high profile events cancelled and the first class cricket title being decided without a ball being bowled in the final round of matches.
Virat Kohli remained the highest-placed Indian batsman at fourth even as Shikhar Dhawan rose a rung to sixth in the latest ICC ODI rankings.
New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori made a crucial breakthrough as he clean bowled Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene for a brave 77.
India, who play three matches against Australia and five against New Zealand, could reach 125 points and within one point of England
Opener Hashim Amla fell two runs shy of a half-century as South Africa cruised to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first Twenty20 at Kingsmead on Friday.
A play-offs spot having sealed after a resounding victory in their previous match, Kolkata Knight Riders would aim for a top-two finish with a win when they take on an inconsistent Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match, in Mohali, on Tuesday.
Statistical highlights of the opening day's play in the first Test between India and New Zealand at Hamilton on Wednesday.
No Indian cricketer figures in the ICC's World Cup XI, which is dominated by runners-up New Zealand rather than champions Australia.
Uncapped leg spinner Ish Sodhi and all rounder Corey Anderson have been promoted from the New Zealand 'A' team to the full Test squad for a two Test series in Bangladesh in October.
The calm, assured manner in which New Zealand chased down South Africa's imposing total on Tuesday to advance to their first cricket World Cup final is a hallmark of a team that has developed into a cohesive unit over the last two years.
'Even when I made 264, I was told I should have made 300. People's expectations are high. Even if you make 300, they expect 350,' said the India opener ahead of Thursday's World Cup semi-final against Australia in Sydney.
