South Africa rode on some excellent bowling to clinch a one-run win over New Zealand in a thrilling Group D clash of the ICC World Twenty20 at Lord's on Tuesday.
New Zealand pace bowler Doug Bracewell has not recovered from a cut foot in time for the second Test against England in Wellington, the team said on their website on Monday.
Captain Brendon McCullum led the way with the bat while his bowlers produced a disciplined display to beat England by 55 runs in the second Twenty20 international at Seddon Park on Tuesday and level the three-match series.
New Zealand's Twenty20 champions Otago Volts enter the tournament as a strong contender for the title. Brendon McCullum is a proven match-winner, while all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas is capable of making a difference with both bat and ball.
Daniel Vettori led from the front with both and ball and Grant Elliott sparkled with a gritty innings of 75 to help New Zealand outclass Pakistan by five wickets to enter the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in Johannesburg, on Saturday. Chasing 234 for victory, New Zealand kept losing wickets at regular intervals before the 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Elliott and Vettori, who made a quick 41 from 42 deliveries, sealed the deal in their favour.
Ian Butler kept his cool to bowl New Zealand to victory, virtually shutting defending champions Pakistan out of the competition.
Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Sami took two wickets apiece as defending champions Pakistan did extremely well to restrict New Zealand to a modest 133 for seven in their must-win Super Eights game in the Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados on Saturday.
India, along with hosts South Africa and Australia, are the strongest contenders for next month's ICC Champions Trophy with Yuvraj Singh posing a massive threat to the bowlers, fears New Zealand medium pacer Ian Butler. Apart from Yuvraj, the right-arm pacer tipped South African pacer Dale Steyn and Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal as players to watch out for.
England's Graham Gooch with 8,900 runs will be next in his sights.
New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming won the toss and elected to bat in the three-day cricket match against India 'A'.
Martin Snedden is to accompany the team on its troubled tour of Pakistan.
The New Zealand captain has ruled himself out through injury and will return home for treatment to an abdominal strain.
Stephen Fleming says he is prepared to lead the side in the ODI series despite a threat to the team received by New Zealand Cricket.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was on Tuesday named captain and ambassador of Libra Legends in the upcoming Masters Champions League to be played in Dubai and Sharjah from January 28 to February 13. Ganguly will lead a team which will have South African iconic all-rounder Jacques Kallis, left-arm spinner Nicky Boje, English spinner Graeme Swann, Aussie speedster Shaun Tait, spinner Brad Hogg, Netherlands allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate among others.
Swing bowler Kyle Mills will captain New Zealand for the first time on his country's limited overs tour of Sri Lanka later this month after Kane Williamson was ruled out with a broken and dislocated thumb.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and senior batsman Ross Taylor will skip next month's limited overs series in Sri Lanka to prepare for December's home tests against West Indies, the country's cricket board said on Saturday.
Pacer Rahul Shukla rocked the rival top-order with three wickets in an over before veteran Brad Hodge hit a blistering fifty as Rajasthan Royals snapped Otago Volts's 15-match winning streak with a four-wicket win in the Champion League Twenty20 Group A match, in Jaipur.
Skipper Brendon McCullum led from the front, smashing an unbeaten 83, as Otago Volts from New Zealand beat Pakistan's Faisalabad Wolves by eight wickets in a qualifying round match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Mohali on Tuesday.
A fine all-round show by Ryan ten Doeschate powered the Kiwi side to a convincing six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka's Kandurata Maroons.
Opener Neil Broom produced a hurricane 117-run knock off just 56 balls as Otago Volts recorded a comprehensive 62-run win over Perth Scorchers in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in Jaipur on Wednesday.
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