De Villiers and Guptill take their leave of absence

AB de Villiers was in top form during the one-day series but New Zealand won’t have to worry about him the Tests © Getty Images In a one-day series dominated by bowlers, two batsmen in particular stood out. AB de Villiers led the run scoring and Martin Guptill recovered from a hamstring injury to play perhaps his best innings. But neither of them will feature in the upcoming three-Test series…

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Keeping conundrum tops New Zealand's questions

New Zealand pushed the world’s No. 1 ODI side close over the five-match series, but ultimately two batting collapses cost them. They have a chance for some fine-tuning before the Champions Trophy when they play a tri-series in Ireland during May, albeit with a weakened squad due to the IPL. Coach Mike Hesson said: “You’d love to go into a world event having all the answers but we have a…

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South Africa keep new-ball options open

Play 01:32 ‘Credit has got to go to the bowlers’ – de Villiers South Africa will not anoint a permanent ODI new-ball partner to Kagiso Rabada, who is himself not always guaranteed to open the bowling, and will aim for a more flexible approach at the Champions Trophy, according to captain AB de Villiers. That marks a departure from the thinking of six months ago, when Rabada and Kyle Abbott…

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India fight, but Australia eye lead

Tea Australia 163 for 5 (S Marsh 38*) trail India 189 by 26 runsLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh put on the longest partnership of the match – 52 runs from 25.1 overs © Associated Press Shaun Marsh batted through the second session on day two in Bengaluru, where Australia went to tea within sight of a lead on a difficult, cracking pitch. India picked up…

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Plunket Shield gears up for pink-ball cricket

The floodlit Plunket Shield fixture at Eden Park is significant because the ground is expected to host a day-night Test against England next March © Getty Images New Zealand will join the floodlit first-class era when the latest round of Plunket Shield matches begins on Monday. Fixtures will be played under lights with a pink ball at Eden Park in Auckland, Seddon Park in Hamilton, and the Westpac Stadium in…

Read More >>

De Villiers and Guptill take their leave of absence

AB de Villiers was in top form during the one-day series but New Zealand won’t have to worry about him the Tests © Getty Images In a one-day series dominated by bowlers, two batsmen in particular stood out. AB de Villiers led the run scoring and Martin Guptill recovered from a hamstring injury to play perhaps his best innings. But neither of them will feature in the upcoming three-Test series…

Read More >>

Keeping conundrum tops New Zealand's questions

New Zealand pushed the world’s No. 1 ODI side close over the five-match series, but ultimately two batting collapses cost them. They have a chance for some fine-tuning before the Champions Trophy when they play a tri-series in Ireland during May, albeit with a weakened squad due to the IPL. Coach Mike Hesson said: “You’d love to go into a world event having all the answers but we have a…

Read More >>

South Africa keep new-ball options open

Play 01:32 ‘Credit has got to go to the bowlers’ – de Villiers South Africa will not anoint a permanent ODI new-ball partner to Kagiso Rabada, who is himself not always guaranteed to open the bowling, and will aim for a more flexible approach at the Champions Trophy, according to captain AB de Villiers. That marks a departure from the thinking of six months ago, when Rabada and Kyle Abbott…

Read More >>

India fight, but Australia eye lead

Tea Australia 163 for 5 (S Marsh 38*) trail India 189 by 26 runsLive scorecard and ball-by-ball details Matt Renshaw and Shaun Marsh put on the longest partnership of the match – 52 runs from 25.1 overs © Associated Press Shaun Marsh batted through the second session on day two in Bengaluru, where Australia went to tea within sight of a lead on a difficult, cracking pitch. India picked up…

Read More >>

Plunket Shield gears up for pink-ball cricket

The floodlit Plunket Shield fixture at Eden Park is significant because the ground is expected to host a day-night Test against England next March © Getty Images New Zealand will join the floodlit first-class era when the latest round of Plunket Shield matches begins on Monday. Fixtures will be played under lights with a pink ball at Eden Park in Auckland, Seddon Park in Hamilton, and the Westpac Stadium in…

Read More >>