Ian Botham feels that England's ultra-aggressive 'Bazball' approach under Ben Stokes has infused new life into Test cricket.
New Zealand cruised to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over England.
Nathan McCullum was the star for New Zealand for the second consecutive time as the off-spinner bowled Kiwis into the Super Eights against Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
Top order batsman Kane Williamson will return to New Zealand's lineup for the second Test against West Indies on Wednesday after coming through fitness tests on his broken thumb, captain Brendon McCullum said on Tuesday.
India continued to enjoy the upperhand in the second and final Test against New Zealand despite a fighting unbeaten century from home team captain Brendon McCullum, who led a spirited fightback on an absorbing third day in Wellington on Sunday.
England captain Ben Stokes tried hard to be self-effacing on the eve of his 100th Test appearance, saying "milestones are what they are" but he is looking forward to the "theatre" that would come with playing the marquee game against a star-studded India.
Since embracing Bazball, England are yet to lose a Test series, while India remain unbeaten at home since 2012-13.
Sanju Samson, then a skinny 14-year-old, curled on the bed in his hotel room, watched Kolkata Knight Riders' Brendon McCullum hammering a 73-ball 158 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the first-ever IPL match.
Factbox on New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who will retire from international cricket after the second Test against Australia, starting in Christchurch from Thursday.
Australia took the final seven wickets to dismiss New Zealand for 295 and win the first Test by 208 runs before lunch on the final day on Monday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum says he has never been involved in match-fixing and is "very disappointed" his testimony to an International Cricket Council corruption probe had been leaked to the media.
Ben Stokes's England were panned by former captains after their humiliating 434-run loss against India in the 3rd Test in Rajkot on Sunday.
Left-arm spinner Tom Hartley said on Sunday the strip used for the first Test against India didn't offer much to the tweakers and he had to "keep a cool head" to make his debut memorable with a seven-wicket haul in a famous England victory.
The McCullum brothers -- Nathan and Brendon -- came up with match-winning performances as Otago Volts crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets in the inconsequential sixth and final qualifying match of the Champions League T20, in Mohali, on Friday.
'I'm not sure how happy they are about the term, but they are playing really good cricket, let's be honest about it.'
New Zealand opener Tom Latham on Tuesday backed underfire batsman Ross Taylor, who is battling poor form in the ongoing tour of India and and has also faced criticism from former captain Brendon McCullum. In his autobiography 'Declared', McCullum derided Taylor for being uninspiring during his captaincy and someone who failed to communicate with the team. "We haven't seen anything about that at the moment," Latham said when asked whether the book 'Declared' has affected Taylor off the field.
Ben Stokes responded to former cricketer Steve Harmison's criticism of England's preparation for the upcoming Test series against India.
Captain Brendon McCullum played one of the most important six-ball knocks of his career to lead New Zealand to a nine-run win over England via the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-marred World Twenty20 match on Saturday.
As the clock ticks down on Brendon McCullum's international career, the New Zealand captain will achieve one more milestone on Friday in the first Test against Australia at the Basin Reserve.
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.
Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis conceded that the Indian Premier League has helped South Africa's master blaster AB de Villiers and New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, saying they have matured by playing in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.
New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori has said that having the vice-captaincy tag removed from Brendon McCullum would not deter him from being a captain in future.
The two players were reported guilty by the umpires during the second match of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against Australia.
'If the ball's hitting the stumps, the ball's hitting the stumps. I think that should take away the umpire's call.'
India's limited-overs specialist Suresh Raina is likely to lead the new Intex-owned Rajkot IPL team. Picked first by the franchise in Tuesday's Player draft for a hefty sum of Rs 12.5 crore, he looks set to be entrusted the top job.
Containing big-hitting Brendon McCullum and the best utilisation of his key spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is what Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Daniel Vettori is thinking ahead of their IPL clash against Kolkata Knight Riders, in Bangalore, on Tuesday.
New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has been named to lead his country in his final one-day series against Australia next month, providing he can prove his fitness.
Former West Indies great Brian Lara has named Brendon McCullum as skipper of his Dream World Cup XI, which has three Indians in it.
India were without several frontline players and fielded five debutants in the series.
Moeen Ali said Chennai Super Kings will always have an edge over their opponents because of the unpredictable strategies of their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
World champions Australia will hope to round off one of the nation's most successful seasons in cricket with victory in a rare Test series in New Zealand starting at Wellington's Basin Reserve on Thursday.
One of England's heaviest Test defeats could not shake Ben Stokes' conviction in their high-risk approach and the touring skipper believes they can still win the five-Test series in India.
For New Zealand, the tournament is still a great success. They had never played in a World Cup final before, reaching the semi-finals six times but losing on each occasion, and were unbeaten going into the final.
A frenetic first innings set up New Zealand's 122-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test on Monday, but captain Brendon McCullum was pleased with the way his bowlers stuck to their task without tangible reward.
Statistical highlights from Day 1 of the opening Test between India and New Zealand in Auckland on Thursday.
New Zealand booked their passage in the World Cup quarter-finals from Group A after Brendon McCullum set up a 97-run victory over Canada with a chanceless century at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Brendon McCullum, who has just come off another successful and lucrative Indian Premier League campaign, has revealed that to him Test cricket is sacred and something people have to protect.
Skipper Ben Stokes expressed pride in how England have fought toe to toe with India despite not having 'a chance in hell of competing' with the hosts.
Shubman Gill and Dhruv Jurel pulled off a nervy chase as India beat England by five wickets in the fourth Test on Monday to claim an unassailable 3-1 lead.