Joe Root ended a poor run of form when he scored his 17th Test century and led England to 269-5 before rain ended play early on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand, at Seddon Park in Hamilton, on Sunday.
On a roll post the IPL's resumption, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders will look to continue their winning streak when they meet in a high-octane Indian Premier League encounter, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
New Zealand's pace attack of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, however, made life difficult for the visitors
England spinner Monty Panesar claimed six wickets to wrap up the deciding third Test against New Zealand just after lunch on the fifth day on Wednesday. New Zealand, chasing an improbable 553 to win, were bowled out for 431 in their second innings to give England victory by 121 runs and a 2-1 triumph in the series, their first overseas success since South Africa in 2005.
Kevin Pietersen scored a fine century as England ended Day 1 in the third Test against New Zealand on 240 for 7. New Zealand debutant pace bowler Tim Southee had made a dream start, taking two wickets in his first spell as England slumped to 58 for four at lunch and 150 for six at tea.
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram has been ruled out of the third Test against England with a hip injury and replaced by Grant Elliott, captain Daniel Vettori said on Friday. South African-born Elliott will make his Test debut in the match at McLean Park, alongside teenage pace bowler Tim Southee who has been called in to replace fellow seamer Kyle Mills.
Teenage pace bowler Tim Southee was added to an otherwise unchanged New Zealand squad for the third Test against England, beginning in Napier on Saturday.
India retained their number one spot and captain Virat Kohli remained static at second in the ICC rankings. India have 116 rating points, six more than New Zealand with third-placed Australia accumulating 108 points.
Australia's Steve Smith is back on top of the list of batsmen in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings after India captain Virat Kohli could manage only 21 runs in his two innings in the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, which his side lost by 10 wickets to concede a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. This is the eighth time that Smith is on top of the rankings after first occupying the top position in June 2015.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said forgetting about results and getting the simple things right helped his side recover from the 3-0 drubbing by Australia to beat India, the world's top ranked Test side, by 10 wickets on Monday.
Ishant Sharma joined his pace partner Mohammed Shami in responding to those who have been critical of Bumrah's barren run that started during the ODI leg of the New Zealand tour.
It was a day that New Zealand pacer Tim Southee won't forget for the rest of his life for sure as the Indian batsmen scored a century off his bowling. The 20-year-old was smashed for 105 runs off his 10 overs as India ended up with a mammoth 392 for four in their 50 overs during the third One-Day International in Wellington on Sunday.
A first T20 series victory in New Zealand will be the icing on the cake for the Men in Blue, who have far exceeded expectations during their three-month sojourn in this part of the world.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson admitted that playing the second leg of Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates helped in understanding the conditions better in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.
The Indian team is still searching for the right middle-order combination with the World Cup just a few months away.
Southee had Kamrul Islam trapped in front for two in the 85th over, shortly after the game had been delayed for about 10 minutes when Rubel Hossain received medical treatment after being hit on the elbow by Trent Boult.
Tim Southee's prophecy before the start of the first Test against Sri Lanka came true on the opening day of the match as he took his eighth five-wicket haul at the Basin Reserve on Saturday.
Panesar feels the concept of WTC is a great advertisement of Test cricket and the former spinner went on to term the summit clash as an encounter similar to arch-rivals India and Pakistan playing a Test match or the Ashes.
New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme changed the script completely with a final over assault that enabled Royal Challengers Bangalore put up a healthy total against Mumbai Indians.
Eyeing a maiden IPL title, the fancied Delhi Capitals will face another litmus test in the form of a Kolkata Knight Riders unit brimming with optimism when the two sides lock horns in the Qualifier 2 match in Sharjah on Wednesday.
New Zealand's three-pronged attack could spell trouble for India on a spiced-up track and Will Somerville, who played a gutsy knock in Kanpur, might have to sit out.
It will be a test of Virat Kohli's tactical acumen against the ice-cool demeanour of Eoin Morgan when perennial underachievers Royal Challengers Bangalore clash with former champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Eliminator in Sharjah on Monday.
'A lot of our recent success has been based on the value of our number six batsman bowling some overs and we're comfortable continuing in that vein'
Captain Kane Williamson led from the front with a superb century before his bowlers held their nerves in a close finish to help New Zealand edge past India by six runs in the second One-Day International in New Delhi, on Thursday.
Having already won the series, Rohit and Dravid will now like to maintain a fine balance between winning and also trying out all their available resources to see how each and every individual is placed.
Images from the Indian Premier League match between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, in Sharjah, on Tuesday.
Former India cricketers, including Bishan Singh Bedi, VVS Laxman and Sanjay Manjrekar, questioned the Virat Kohli-led team's tactics after it was humbled 0-2 in the Test series in New Zealand.
Trent Boult provided the impetus needed for New Zealand with a five-wicket haul as the hosts completed an innings and 52-run victory over Bangladesh on the fourth day of the first Test in Hamilton on Sunday.
Mayank Agarwal scored his fourth Test half-century as India inched to 78-2 at tea on the third day of Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. Trent Boult followed up his counter-attacking cameo innings of 38 to take three wickets, including that of Virat Kohli, to put New Zealand on top against India at the end of the third day of the first test on Sunday. The visitors, who had not lost any of their seven previous International Cricket Council World Test Championship matches, were 144-4 at the close of play at the Basin Reserve, still 39 runs behind and staring at their potential first defeat.
Images from the T20 World Cup Super 12s match between New Zealand and Scotland, in Dubai, on Wednesday.
Rajneesh Gupta lists interesting records from the first week of the Super 12 competition in the T20 World Cup in the UAE.
Royal Challengers Bangalore were forced to share points with Rajasthan Royals in their Indian Premier League match after heavy downpour led to match being called off.
Seifert blitzkrieg helps Kiwis beat India in opening T20
McClenaghan and Milne last featured in the 50-over format for New Zealand in early 2016 and missed a majority of last year's fixtures through injuries.
While multiple-time world champions and Champions Trophy winners Australia are always a tough nut to crack, New Zealand will enter the game at Edgbaston with renewed confidence after their six-wicket warm-up win over Sri Lanka at the same venue.
New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill has been dropped for the Test series against Pakistan and the uncapped Jeet Raval is poised to make his debut.
New Zealand picked two uncapped players in all-rounder Daryl Mitchell and pacer Blair Tickner for the three-match T20 International series against India.
Premier off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be in focus alongside speedster Mohammed Shami when defending champions India take on New Zealand on Sunday in their opening warm-up game ahead of the Champions Trophy in London.
New Zealand had produced 'almost the perfect performance' to destroy England in a World Cup match that lasted less than 50 overs on Friday.
New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill says their pace attack have forged a blueprint they will seek to follow for the rest of the World Cup after dismantling the Sri Lankan batting order in Saturday's opening win in Cardiff.
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