World Cricket Live Update

Plenty of cricket going on at the moment so here is an update on live world cricket!

1st Test: New Zealand VS England 
Match Drawn
New Zealand 460 drew with England 167 and 421/6
England despite being dominated by New Zealand in the first test have managed to hold on for a draw. After letting New Zealand get a lead of 293, England came back strong with both openers Cook and Compton scoring centuries. For Compton it was his first test century and would have helped silence some of the doubters. Nightwatchman Steven Finn managed to stick around the next morning to make his highest test (and first-class) score of 56. Trott also contributed and made 52. Neil Wagner again impressed with a three wicket haul. If the first day wasn't washed out, New Zealand would have really had a great chance to push for a win. Nonetheless they would be impressed with the way they played. England would be happy that they managed to escape with a draw after their inept batting display in the first innings. With the series still 0-0, the next test starts on the 14th.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-england-2013/engine/current/match/569243.html

1st ODI: South Africa VS Pakistan
South Africa won by 125 runs
South Africa 315/4 and Pakistan 190 
Apologies for not posting a series preview for this; I just haven't had the time. In summary for South Africa it is an important series as it is their last major matches before the Champions Trophy. After their loss to New Zealand they will be hoping for an improved performance. They have slipped to 4th in the rankings so will be hoping to get back near the top. For Pakistan they will be hoping to put on a better show after a 3-0 whitewash in the test series. They are ranked in 6th in ODI's and they will be also be wanting to put in a good performance ahead of the Champions Trophy in a few months.

Back to this match, and South Africa really dominated. They piled up 315/4 off their 50 overs with Colin Ingram making an unbeaten 105*. De Villiers made a run a ball 65. They took their batting powerplay immediately in the 11th over which was a nice change from the usual in ODI cricket of wating until the 36th over. Pakistan were never really in the hunt and were struck out for 190 in 36.2 overs. Rory Kleinveldt took four wickets in a good spell.

The next match is in four days.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567368.html

1st Test: Sri Lanka VS Bangladesh
Bangladesh lead Sri Lanka by 27 runs
Bangladesh 638 and Sri Lanka 570/4dec and 41/1

On the road of a pitch in Galle, Bangladesh piled up their highest test score of 638. Mohammad Ashraful could not go on to make a double (he was dismissed on 190), but it was his captain Mushfiqur Rahim who did going on to make an exact 200. It really was a unbelievable innings and he became the first Bangladesh batsman in test history to score a double century. Nasir Hossain coming in at no.7 picked up where Ashraful left off and even managed to score a ton himself. The Sri Lankan bowlers were ineffective but they did manage to restrict Bangladesh's lead to 68.

Shahadat Hossain has picked up the early wicket of Karunaratne but unless something unthinkable happens this test will end up drawn.

Current scorecard and Cricinfo commentary here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/sri-lanka-v-bangladesh-2013/engine/current/match/602472.html

1st ODI: Kenya VS Canada
Canada 227/8 (50.0 overs)
Both of these teams lie in the bottom three of the World Cricket League Championship. Although it is still mathematically possible, it is virtually impossible for these teams to finish in the top two to automatically qualify for the World Cup. In all honesty both Kenya and Canada will need to focus on keeping their ODI status by finishing in the top four of next year's Cricket World Cup qualifier, or even by just finishing in the top eight and keeping their High Performance Program funding.

Canada managed to score 227/8 on the back of a 72 by opening batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera. Raza-ur-Rehman also scored a 70 in his ODI debut. Elijah Otieno picked up 4/33, while Nelson Odhiambo secured two wickets, including of dangerous batsman Rizwan Cheema for 2. Kenya will like their chances of chasing down the total, but it will be close.

Full scorecard here: http://www.espncricinfo.com/wcl-championship-2011-13/engine/current/match/592266.html