Last edition of the Champions Trophy all set to go!

The Champions Trophy has been  a much maligned competition over its duration. It started off as a knock-out tournament, went on to include heavily underprepared associates (cough...cough... USA), and has finally settled on its best format. The top eight teams, the major cricketing nations in a short and sharp tournament where all games matter. This last edition wasn't even meant to be in the schedule for 2013, however remained due to the inability for the World Test Championship to get up and running. In 2017 though, the Test event will occur (we think) which has caused the ICC to signal that each format of the game should have one major tournament. It's definitely the right move, however the fact that now there will only be a one-day tournament every four years means greater potential for more T20 matches.

Anyway I move back to the Champions Trophy, and there is much excitement around this year's tournament. All the sides are relatively closely matched and any team could win especially in the tournament format where every game counts. Below I run through the teams and their chances.

England
The hosts are one of the favourites, however their series loss to New Zealand will increase the doubts around them. Home conditions will help especially over the subcontinent teams. Good chance for the final I reckon.

India
They mauled Australia in their last warm-up match a couple of days ago, and will use this tournament to try and take some of the spotlight off the drama back in India. Should make the semis.

Australia
With Michael Clarke in severe doubt with a back injury, and their frailty against swing bowling being highlighted against India, I sense they might struggle. Don't think they will make the semis to be honest.

South Africa
The perennial under-achievers in global tournaments, however they have won a Champions Trophy. Expected to do well and could challenge for the final, although Steyn's potential absence will hurt.

Sri Lanka
In contrast to above, Sri Lanka have over-achieved to an extent (to outsider's expectations) in global tournaments, however I don't think they'll make the semis here though.

Pakistan
Pakistan were lucky to get away against Ireland and are unpredictable; so are therefore quite difficult to assess. Could be anywhere from first-round losers to finalists.

New Zealand
Darkhorses as usual. Series win over England will give them huge confidence. Will be looking at the group match against Australia to try and land a semi-final spot.

West Indies
Their T20 World Cup win last year has so far failed to translate into any dominant ODI form as of yet. Don't think that will turn around yet.

Full Fixtures

Group A

Saturday 8^th June

England VS Australia @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Sunday 9^th June

New Zealand VS Sri Lanka @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Wednesday 12^th June

Australia VS New Zealand @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Thursday 13^th June

England VS Sri Lanka @ Kennington Oval, London

Sunday 16^th June

England VS New Zealand @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Monday 17^th June

Australia VS Sri Lanka @ Kennington Oval, London

Group B

Thursday 6^th June

India VS South Africa @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Friday 7^th June

Pakistan VS West Indies @ Kennington Oval, London

Monday 10^th June

Pakistan VS South Africa @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Tuesday 11^th June

India VS West Indies @ Kennington Oval, London

Friday 14^th June

South Africa VS West Indies @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Saturday 15th June

India VS Pakistan @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

Finals

Wednesday 19^th June

Semi Final #1 @ Kennington Oval, London

Thursday 20^th June

Semi Final #2 @ Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Sunday 23^rd June

Final @ Edgbaston, Birmingham

 

World Cricket Live Update

England managed to prevent a whitewash in the final One-Day International of the three match series yesterday. After England made 287/6 off their 50 overs, New Zealand were bowled out 34 runs short with a few overs remaining. It all came too little too late for England though after already giving up a 2-0 series lead to the kiwis. For those of you who have not seen it, try and get hold of some highlights of Martin Guptill's innings in the second ODI. After scoring a century in the first match, Guptill went even further with an incredible 189*. It was the highest score by a New Zealander in ODI's, as well as the fifth highest overall out of all countries. Despite his patchy performances in tests, Guptill is really shining in the 50 over game.

New Zealand could not have really asked for a better result in the lead up to the Champions Trophy. This series win makes it for the second for the year with the other one being away to South Africa. Their form this year has been quite impressive, and this is being reflected in the rankings with them now overtaking West Indies into 7th place.

England will be disappointed with the their first home ODI series loss since 2009, and it couldn't have come at a worse time, as they are about to play host to the Champions Trophy. They will still go in one of the favourites, however there are now more doubts than before, thanks to New Zealand.

World Cricket Live Update

Pakistan 230/8 (48.4 overs) defeated Ireland 229/9 (50.0 overs) by 2 wickets
The ODI Series between Ireland and Pakistan came to a thrilling conclusion last Sunday as Kamran Akmal and tail-ender Wahab Riaz won the match for Pakistan. The visitors were in dire straits at 17/4, and also 133/7, but the wicket-keeper and fast bowler put on a show scoring around 90 off the last 10-12 overs. Ireland had earlier managed 229/9 on the back of Ed Joyce who became only the second player behind Eoin Morgan to score an ODI century for two different countries. Ireland's score was definitely under-par, however they more than made up for it with the ball, as Trent Johnston and Tim Murtagh ran through the top order. Unfortunately for the Irish they couldn't capitalize and they will be kicking themselves after a great chance for the first ODI series win by an associate against a full member nation.

England (354 and 287/5dec) defeated New Zealand (174 and 220) by 247 runs
After matching England for three of four innings in the first match, New Zealand had high hopes to remain competitive and perhaps pinch a win in the second test. They failed to do this though as England finetuned their Ashes preparations with a convincing 247 run win. Joe Root scored his maiden test century, while Alistair Cook made 130 in the second innings. Their bowlers were superb with Graeme Swann picking up 10 wickets for the match. New Zealand, on the other hand, were quite disappointing in the batting department, scoring lower than both England's totals in their innings. Their first innings of 174 was incredibly disappointing with no.10 and 11 Wagner and Boult scoring nearly a third of the runs.

The teams play a short three match ODI series in preparation for the Champions Trophy tournament which starts next week. I will post a preview of what will be the last ever edition of this tournament sometime in the next coming days.

Netherlands v South Africa @ Amstelveen
The single ODI between Netherlands and South Africa has just started with South Africa winning the toss and batting. They lost two early wickets but have now steadied to be 67/2 after 14 overs. Colin Ingram is unbeaten on 21, while JP Duminy is on 14. Mudassar Bukhari picked up the breakthrough of Petersen, while debutant Paul van Meekeren dismissed Hamish Amla. Hopefully the Dutch can continue to fight and make a match of this.

New Zealand look to draw the series

After a fourth innings collapse of dramatic proportions led to New Zealand being bowled out for 68 in less than two hours, they will be looking to bounce back in the second and final test starting today at Headingley.

Dan Vettori has been ruled out to replace injured Bruce Martin which means the visitors will play a four man pace attack. Doug Bracewell comes in, while Martin Guptill has also been drafted in to lengthen the batting order at the expense of BJ Watling. Captain Brendon McCullum will don the gloves.

New Zealand put up a massive fight in the first test so England will need to be on their game from the first day this time, in what is their last test match before the Ashes later in the summer.

Back to the real cricket!

With the IPL extravaganza finally getting closer to a conclusion, some good and proper cricket starts tonight with the beginning of the two match test series between England and New Zealand. This series comes only a couple of months after an incredible 0-0 draw in New Zealand, where the English were lucky to escape with a drawn series. New Zealand pushed them hard, however it will be much tougher in England.

New Zealand have had a reasonable amount of time to prepare with two warm-up matches being played. The fact that their IPL players Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor were able to arrive in England earlier than expected.They found it tough in their match against the England Lions though as the New Zealanders were bowled out for 285, with Hamish Rutherford the only one who scored anything of note - 126. Their bowlers struggled as the lions racked up 444/7 with Joe Root scoring 179.

In relation to the Test rankings, England are in 2nd narrowly ahead of India and Australia, and a mile behind runaway leaders South Africa. New Zealand are in 8th on 83 points and will be looking to spring an upset in order to catch up to 7th placed West Indies who are on 92 points.

Despite New Zealand's improved performances earlier this year against the same opposition, I'm predicting England to bounce back with some strong performances. They will want to get in some good form before the Ashes assignment later in the summer.

Squads
England (1st Test): A.Cook (c), J.Anderson, J.Bairstow, I.Bell, T.Bresnan, S.Broad, N.Compton, S.Finn, M.Prior, J.Root, G.Swann,  J.Trott
New Zealand: B. McCullum, T.Boult, D.Bracewell, D.Brownlie, P.Fulton, M.Gillespie, M.Guptill, T.Latham, B.Martin, H.Rutherford, T.Southee, R.Taylor, N.Wagner, BJ Watling, K.Williamson

Fixtures
16th May - 20th May: 1st Test @ Lord's, London
24th - 28th May: 2nd Test @ Headingley, Leeds

*Thought I better add - no disrespect intended to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe who just completed a series, but unfortunately the majority of cricket fans (not me) would have struggled to just know that series was on at all.

Test Rankings Update

With the New Zealand and England series ending the other day in an incredible draw, there is now a bit of a break until the next test assignments. Zimbabwe do host Bangladesh in April for a two test match series in a bottom of the table clash, but for the test purists, they will have to wait until May for any substantial action.

With this in mind, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on each team's form in the past five months (since November) and their current positions on the ranking table. I'll also detail the test series which will be played later this year.

South Africa
8 matches
6 wins 2 draws 0 losses
Captain Graeme Smith has just received the test mace and the $450,000 cheque that goes along with it. They thoroughly deserve these accolades as they have comprehensively beaten all team that they have played. The critical series against Australia in Australia was a challenge but a superb performance at the WACA sealed a hard fought 1-0 win. Their home summer was flawless with a 2-0 and 3-0 thumping of New Zealand and Pakistan respectively.

India
8 matches
5 wins 1 draw 2 losses
All of India's 8 matches have been played at home, and their results can be split into two categories. Their 1-2 defeat to England was disappointing and it showed that they had some things to address. Meanwhile their 4-0 hammering of Australia, although helped by the implosion of Australia, showed that they are still a force to be reckoned with in their home conditions.

West Indies
4 matches
4 wins 0 draws 0 losses
These results look sensational, but some context is needed. Their matches were played against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. So they were expected to win these four matches, but the ruthlessness they displayed at times is a sign that West Indies may be on a significant rise in test cricket.

Australia
10 matches
3 wins 2 draws 5 losses
Australia have come through an incredible rough trot after being hammered by India. Players being sent home, selection inconsistencies an rumoured player unrest have destabilized the team. The retirements of Ponting and Hussey would not have helped. All this was on the back of a decent home summer with a narrow 0-1 loss to the South Africans and a 3-0 cleansweep of Sri Lanka.

England
7 matches
2 wins 4 draws 1 loss 
England's win over India was a historic achievement and they thoroughly deserved their win with some outstanding performances. They have crashed back to Earth though, with a 0-0 draw against New Zealand. They were only one wicket away from losing the series, which would have been a major disappointment for England.

Sri Lanka
7 matches
2 wins 1 draw 4 losses
Sri Lanka's form has not been good, and there are signs that they may be on a downward trend in test cricket (their board's cancelling of tests will not help this). They were upset by New Zealand in Sri Lanka to draw the series 1-1, and were completely outplayed by Australia down under. The fact that they could only just beat Bangladesh shows where they are at.

New Zealand
7 matches
1 win 3 draws 3 losses
Despite only 1 win from the past 7 matches, things are starting to turn around for New Zealand. Their win in Sri Lanka was amazing, although was overshadowed by the Ross Taylor captaincy saga. Despite being smashed by South Africa, their performance against England showed that they have some good players coming through the ranks.

Bangladesh
4 matches
0 wins 1 draw 3 losses 
Bangladesh's form has actually been quite impressive. They posted their then highest test score in the first match against the West Indies and should have probably won that game. Their draw in the first match against Sri Lanka (while making 638) was a major highlight for them.

Pakistan
3 matches
0 wins 0 draws 3 losses
Pakistan have only played the one series which was against South Africa away. They were destroyed by the no.1 side with a real low-light coming when they were bowled out for 49 in the first test.

Zimbabwe
2 matches
0 wins 0 draws 2 losses
Zimbabwe played tests for the first time in over a year with a series away against West Indies. As expected they were brushed aside with relative ease, but the experience shall be good for them.

Some statistics from this in general are:
30 matches played (over the last 5 months)
2 four match series
4 three match series
5 two match series
Thought I'd include this breakdown as I really hate two match series. Who wouldn't have loved an extra match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand or even between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, giving Bangladesh the opportunity to play for a drawn series.

Of the 30 matches played, 7 have been drawn, which is around 23%. I reckon most of these were on roads of pitches. Adelaide comes to mind, as does matches played in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The current rankings are as follows: (up to date as of now)

1 - South Africa    128
2 - England           114
3 - India                112
4 - Australia         110
5 - Pakistan          104
6 - Sri Lanka         92
7 - West Indies      92
8 - New Zealand   83
9 -  Bangladesh      1

The divide between South Africa and the rest is really prominent now, and really proves just how dominant they have been over the past five months. Australia have slipped from nearly being no.1 to now down to no.4. While West Indies have improved their ranking to 92 and are now within striking distance of leap-frogging Sri Lanka into 6th position. Bangladesh picked up a ranking point, while Zimbabwe are still unranked, although they could find themselves on the table after the Bangladesh series.

Test Calendar for the rest of 2013:
April: Zimbabwe VS Bangladesh (Zimbabwe) - 2 match series
May: England VS New Zealand (England) - 2 match series
July/August: West Indies VS Pakistan (West Indies) - 2 match series
July/August: England VS Australia (England) - 5 match series
October: Bangladesh VS New Zealand (Bangladesh) - 2 match series
October: Zimbabwe VS Sri Lanka (Zimbabwe) - 2 match series
October: Pakistan VS South Africa (UAE) - 2/3 match series
November - January: Australia VS England (Australia) - 5 match series
December/January: South Africa VS India (South Africa) - 3/4 match series
December/January: New Zealand VS West Indies (New Zealand) - 3 match series
December/January: Pakistan VS Sri Lanka (UAE) - 3 match series

The two Ashes series are the main highlight, although Australia's problems could mean the series' aren't as closely fought as everyone would like. All the other nations are left to pick up the scraps with a glut of two match series. Although there is hope that Pakistan could play South Africa in a three match series, while Cricket South Africa are considering a four match series against India. The Bangladesh VS New Zealand series should be closely fought with the improvement of Bangladesh.

Let's hope for some exciting matches as well as some brilliant individual performances. On a side note it will be interesting to see whether Sachin Tendulkar continues playing, as India do not play another test series until South Africa in December. 

Thoughts go out to Jesse Ryder and his family

I'm sure all you have heard about the terrible assault that happened to Jesse Ryder the other day. He has been in an induced coma the last day or so. New Zealand Police have stated today that they have made one arrest, with another man being questioned.

Thoughts go out to Jesse and to his family and friends, and for everyone's sake let's hope for a speedy recovery from him.

World Cricket Live Update

Apologies for the break in posts so below I have summarised the most recent results on the international cricket scene:

• New Zealand and England drew Test Series 0-0
• India whitewashed Australia 4-0 to end a horrendous tour for the visitors
• Sri Lanka secured a 1-0 series victory in their home test series against Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka lead their ODI series against the same team 1-0 with one match to play, after the second encounter was rained out
• West Indies completed their series whitewash with a 2-0 result in the test matches, after a 3-0 and 2-0 win in the ODI and T20I series respectively
• South Africa won the deciding game to seal a close ODI series with Pakistan 3-2

 

• Ireland clean-swept their tour of the UAE with a win in their Intercontinental Cup match, two World Cup Qualifiers and single T20I
• Kenya won both both WCL Championship matches against Canada, as well as the first class match, while the T20I series was drawn 1-1
• Scotland were smashed by Afghanistan with the Afganistan team winning the two WCQ's, the Intercontinental Cup match and the two T20I's

What an advert for Test Cricket

The England and New Zealand test match in Auckland came to a thrilling conclusion today with England holding on for a draw despite only having one wicket in tact. Tailender Monty Panesar had to survive for around 20 minutes with Matt Prior who hit a superb 110*. While his team-mates were going into the shells and defending, (i.e. Stuart Broad who took ) the English keeper scored at a brisk rate of 60 per 100 balls.

For New Zealand, they would be devastated after dominating most of the test. Perhaps Brendom McCullum left his declaration a little late yesterday, but its hard too lay too much blame on him. The commentators though made a comment at the end of New Zealand's innings on Day 4, that they wouldn't like to have England 9 down and run out of overs. ... Well, um, yeah...! I guess they turned out to have a pretty accurate crystal ball.

New Zealand deserve a lot of credit for the way they played in this match and the series overall. To hold the no.2 ranked side in test cricket to a 0-0 draw, and be only one wicket away from a series win is pretty fine achievement. This comes after New Zealand's disastrous showing in their last test series against South Africa. England meanwhile would be disappointed with their performance as they were heavy favourites to take the series. Their failure to do so means they lose ground on the no.1 ranked South Africans and fall back to the chasing pack of India and Australia. New Zealand are still 8th but gain ground on the 7th place West Indies.

The match today might have ended in a draw, but it was a match that highlighted the brilliance of test cricket and all its twists and turns. Tests may not have the bash and crash of T20 cricket, but in my opinion it still reigns supreme with its ability to produce an enthralling end after 5 days of play.

P.S. Special mention  to Peter Fulton who scored a century in both innings of the match!

*Photo from Getty Images - link to the photo on Cricinfo website: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/image/626823.html?page=1
**No copyright infringement intended

I think this photo really sums up the beauty of test cricket well. The players intently crowded around the bat, the sense of the batsmen being two up against 11, the contest between bat and ball and the supporters on the edge of their seats (albeit mostly England fans).

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

New Zealand VS England Test Series Preview

  

First Day of play from the First Test was completely washed out

This three match series in New Zealand begins a stretch of five consecutive matches between these two countries. A two match series will be played in England in May. For England, there is a sense that these matches represent nothing but Ashes preparation. They will still have to be on their game though in this series, as New Zealand are a dangerous side at home.

In regards to recent form, New Zealand were smashed in South Africa 2-0 and would be hoping for a massive improvement on that performance. Before that they did manage to draw the series in Sri Lanka 1-1. England meanwhile have come to New Zealand on the back of their tour to India. In the test series over there, England proved victorious coming away with the spoils 2-1. Compare this to Australia's current struggles and you can see just how big an achievement that series win is.

The last tests played between the sides was nearly five years ago in England where the home side prevailed 2-0 in a 3 match series. The last series in New Zealand was played in March 2008 which resulted in England winning 2-1. In the last 9 tests between the countries over a span of around 9 years, England have won 7, New Zealand 1 and there has been 1 draw. New Zealand will be hoping to improve on that record and win a test match in this series.

England did not have the best preparation as they lost their only tour game to a New Zealand XI by 3 wickets. In a closely fought contest, the New Zealand XI chased down the 333 target on the back of BJ Watling's 89*. For England Ian Bell impressed 158 in the first innings, while Watling was the star for the Kiwi side also scoring 66* in the first innings.

Graeme Swann did play in the first class match, but has just decided to fly to Minnesota for surgery on his troublesome elbow. Although he will be missed in this series, in the grand scheme of things with two Ashes series' and a Champions Trophy this year it really was a no-brainer.

New Zealand have decided to give a debut to mature left-arm orthodox Bruce Martin, while Monty Panesar will play in place of Swann.

Full Squads for the tour:
New Zealand (1st Test): B.McCullum (c), T.Boult, D.Brownlie, I.Butler, P.Fulton, T.Latham, B.Martin, H.Rutherford, T.Southee, R.Taylor, N.Wagner, BJ Watling, K.Williamson

England: A.Cook (c), J.Anderson, J.Bairstow, I.Bell, S.Broad, N.Compton, S. Finn, G.Onions, M.Panesar, K.Pietersen, M.Prior, J.Root, J.Tredwell, J.Trott, C.Woakes

Test Series Fixtures
6th March - 10th March: Test #1 @ University Oval, Dunedin
14th March - 18th March: Test #2 @ Westpac Stadium, Wellington
22nd March - 26th March: Test #3 @ Eden Park, Auckland

My prediction: England 2-1

World Cricket Live Update

Plenty of international cricket happening at the moment, so let's get straight into it.

New Zealand - 63/3 off 22.3 overs (ODI #3)
In the deciding ODI, Alastair Cook decided to bowl first, confident in his side's ability to chase down a total to win the series. While the English are unchanged, New Zealand replaced Trent Boult with Andrew Ellis. The kiwis got off to a very shaky start as they lost 3 wickets for only 11 runs. Finn was the chief destroyer with 2 wickets, while Anderson picked up Williamson. Since then though, the home side have recovered somewhat as Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot have shared an unbeaten 52 run stand. They would like to pick up the scoring rate though, as a run rate of 2.8 per over, is well under par on the small Eden Park ground in Auckland. Currently the score is 63/3 off 22.3 overs.

Live scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-new-zealand-2013/engine/current/match/569242.html

Australia - 316/7 (Stumps Day 1)
Starting with the first test between India and Australia, Michael Clarke's unbeaten 103* helped save Australia's blushes (once again) on Day 1 in Chennai. Australia got off to an alright start with David Warner and Ed Cowan putting on 64 for the first wicket. Cowan then got stumped for 29 trying to repeat a six he hit the previous over. Hughes chopped on for not many, which left Watson and Warner to try and get a partnership going. After being 126/2 at Lunch, Watson fell almost straight away after the interval for 28, while Warner was gone lbw for 59, giving Ashwin his fourth wicket. Wade gave Ashwin his five-for, which left Australia reeling at 153/5.

Step in Michael Clarke, as once again the captain rescued his side with some brilliant strokeplay and resilience. Moises Henriques was exceptional on debut making a well composed 68, proving the selectors right in picking him. Unfortunately though he fell towards the end of the day, while Mitchell Starc (newly promoted to no.8) also was dismissed. Peter Siddle hung around to allow Clarke to post his 23rd Test century off the second last ball of the day. For India, Ashwin was the hero claiming six wickets with some really intelligent spin bowling. Jadeja also chipped in with the wicket of Starc. At Stumps on Day 1, its an incredibly even game, but if Australia's tail can hang around and support Clarke, then Australia could get an advantage with a score over 350.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-australia-2013/engine/current/match/598812.html

South Africa - 334/6 (Stumps Day 1)
In the third and last test match of the series, Graeme Smith won the toss and decided to bat first. There were some team changes though, with injuries to fast bowlers Umar Gul and Junaid Khan, forcing Pakistan to debut Eshan Adil and also play second gamer Rahat Ali. Kallis for the home side was also left out with a calf problem. Despite an attack light on experience, it was Pakistan who started the game better, dismissing Petersen and Smith inside 10 overs. Amla and du Plessis settled the ship putting on 69 for the third wicket, before Faf gave the debutant his second wicket of the morning. Amla made 92 before being caught behind off Rahat Ali. Elgar didn't last long, while Robin Peterson was run out after getting a start.

At 248/6, South Africa had some work to do, and it was AB de Villiers who took the home side to Stumps unbeaten on 98*, while Vernon Philander did well to get to 45* in support. It was a good recovery by South Africa, but Pakistan should not be too disheartened. They would be hoping to limit South Africa to under 400, and then getting off to a good start with the bat in their first innings.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-pakistan-2013/engine/current/match/567365.html

West Indies (337/4) defeated Zimbabwe (181/9) by 156 runs
After not playing an ODI for around 12 months, and lacking any form of competitive cricket, it is hard to expect a side to play well in their first outing back. The fact that it is Zimbabwe makes it even harder to imagine. Therefore things went as expected in the first ODI of the series in Grenada overnight. Zimbabwe were simply outplayed from the first to last ball of the match. They were no match for the powerful West Indies batsmen, with Johnson Charles and Kieran Powell sharing a 168 run opening stand. It came in only 28.4 overs as well! Powell was dismissed, but Darren Bravo carried off where he left off. Meanwhile Charles was finally dismissed for 130 (his highest ODI score) which sparked a mini collapese as both Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo fell for not many. Darren Bravo continued on and smacked his way to his first ODI century off only 71 balls. It included 9 fours and 2 sixes. Its incredibly difficult to find the best bowler for the Zimbabweans, as although Mpofu took 2 wickets, he was smashed for 83 off his 10 overs. Legspinner Natsai Mushangwe (in only his second ODI) bowled alright and finished with 1/56 off 10 - the lowest economy rate out of all the bowlers.

Zimbabwe had no hope in the chase of the mammoth 337, and were 34/4 at one stage. Captain Brendan Taylor needed to contribute, if any hope of an upset could eventuate, but he was dismissed by Tino Best for 8. Craig Ervine made 41, while Malcolm Waller posted a half century and therefore top-scored for his team. I guess the fact that they weren't bowled out could be taken as a plus for the African side, alongwith Ervine and Waller's performances. Narine picked up 3 wickets for the West Indies, while Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell picked up two apiece. No-one is expecting Zimbabwe to win the next game, but hopefully for their sake, they can improve on this performance.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo: http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-zimbabwe-2013/engine/current/match/593983.html

World Cricket Live Update

South Africa managed to win the last ODI against New Zealand in an absolute thriller. South Africa needed 3 runs off the final ball to win and Ryan McLaren hit a six with an incredible sweep/ramp shot. It really was an unbelievable end to a great game, after New Zealand had made 260 batting first. Graeme Smith made 116 in South Africa's reply, but it really was McLaren's heroics which stole the show. Ultimately though New Zealand did still win the series 2-1 in what was a thoroughly disappointing series for South Africa, after they dominated the same opposition in the Test series.

Meanwhile England restored some credibility with a dead rubber win in the 5th and final ODI against India. The home side were bowled out for 226, which would have been much worse if not for Suresh Raina's 83. England though chased down the total with seven wickets to spare with 16 balls to spare. Ian Bell was not out on 113*.

Sri Lanka beat Australia in the 1st T20I match at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Despite David Warner posting his highest T20I score of 90, Sri Lanka were never in much discomfort chasing down a below par score of 137 with 5 wickets and 7 deliveries to spare. The second match is tonight at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

SA VS NZ 3rd ODI scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/match/567360.html

Ind VS Eng 5th ODI scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2012/engine/current/match/565816.html

AUS VS Sri 1st T20I scorecard: http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-sri-lanka-2012/engine/match/573019.html

World Cricket Live Weekly Update

Apologies for the break in posts, its been quite a busy week!

The biggest result over the past few days has undoubtedly been New Zealand's series win over South Africa. After winning the first ODI, it was thought New Zealand would struggle to maintain that form, but it turned out they did. Batting first, the kiwis made 279/8 in their 50 overs with Kane Williamson making an unbelievable 145* (his highest ODI score). South Africa did start off well in reply with Smith making 66 and Ingram 79, but incredibly a record five run-outs in the innings derailed the chase. Smith, du Plessis, Behardien on debut, Miller and Kleinveldt were all run out. The South Africans went from an imperious 167/1 to 252 all out, a collapse of 85/9. It really was an amazing win for New Zealand. This incredible series win broke numerous records including:

-Their first series win in South Africa
- First ODI series win since November 2009 *(excluding Bang/Zim)

The last ODI is being played today. It was expected that this match would be a dead rubber, but who would have thought that it would be heavy underdogs New Zealand to have the unassailable lead.

Meanwhile Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 32 runs in the 5th ODI in Hobart, thereby drawing the series 2-2. Hughes scored another ton - this time a remarkable 138 not out. Sri Lanka were in trouble at 108/5, although Angelo Matthews' 67 ensured some nervous moments for the hosts.

After this drawn series, Sri Lanka's tour finishes with a short two match T20I series beginning tomorrow at ANZ Stadium (Sydney), and then moving onto the MCG on Monday night.

Continuing on with the ODI cricket scene, India took an unbeatable lead in their ODI series against England by winning the 4th ODI by 5 wickets midweek. England batted first and made 257, with key figures Cook and Pietersen both making 76. India though made it three wins on the trot with Suresh Raina leading the chase with 89* at a strike rate of 112. This series win was huge for India after some poor form leading up to it against Pakistan. The last match is in two days time at Dharmasala.

With all this ODI cricket, I will post about the movement in the ODI rankings after the conclusion of the South Africa-New Zealand and India-England series'.

The Black caps upset South Africa

In a stunning upset overnight, New Zealand have defeated South Africa by 1 wicket in the 1st ODI. New Zealand bowled the home side out for 208 with debutant Mitchell McClenaghan taking 4/20 off 10 overs. Really great bowling by him! Amazingly part-timer Kane Williamson also took 4 wickets with his off spin. For South Africa du Plessis was the only major contributor with 57, while Ingram made 29, McLaren 33, Kleinveldt 26.

It didn't start well for New Zealand in the chase, with Guptill being run out for a diamond duck. Mind you it was a direct hit from none other than AB de Villiers, who decided to give up keeping in shorter formats before the game. Nicol was gone in the next over, while when Williamson went, the score was 21/3. At this stage most of the crowd, and probably even the South Africans were expecting a kiwi collapse. However Watling dug in for a well made 45, while McCullum (batting at 5) made 26. Apart from this though there were regular dismissals, which left New Zealand at 105/7. Everyone would have been expecting a quick end to the match, but someone forget to give this memo to the New Zealander tail-enders. Nathan McCullum made 24, while Kyle Mills made 26.

Even when the 9th wicket fell, 22 runs were still required. James Franklin though had no fear and took the kiwis to victory with 26 balls remaining. He remained unbeaten on 47*. No.11 McClenaghan survived 6 balls, completing a wonderful debut for him.

This game was an absolute thriller, and proves that low scoring matches can be just as exciting, if not more, than bat dominated games.

No-one gave New Zealand a chance in this game (including me). The fight they showed is what has come to define New Zealand cricket over the years, which just recently has been absent. With a 1-0 lead in the ODI series, hopefully this fight can continue, and New Zealand can put up a challenge in the next 2 matches, or even pull off a miraculous upset series win.

Full scorecard here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/current/match/567358.html

World Cricket Live Update

England after being put into bat have been dismissed for 155 inside 43 overs. The first five batsmen all made starts with no-one going on to a decent score.
Cook - 17
Bell - 25
Pietersen - 17
Root - 39
Morgan - 10
The Indian bowlers were always on top though with each one of the six bowlers picking up a wicket. Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers again with superb figures of 3/19 off 6.2 overs. This should be quite a regulation chase for the home side, with the dew not helping England either.

Meanwhile in South Africa, New Zealand have put the home side on the back foot after winning the toss and bowling first. With a distinctly different side to that in the test series, New Zealand have started the better of the two teams, bowling well to have South Africa at 131/5 after 34 overs. Kyle Mills (1/13 off 5) and Mitchell McClenaghan (2/18 off 8), in his debut mind you, have bowled superbly. Ingram made 29 for South Africa, while not out batsman Faf du Plessis is on 39*.

South Africa VS New Zealand ODI Series starts today!

The ODI Series between South Africa and New Zealand starts today, on the back of a heavy test series mismatch. New Zealand were dominated and lost both matches by an innings. ODI cricket is a different ball game though, and you would have to think that New Zealand would be a little bit more competitive. The ODI rankings would suggest otherwise though with New Zealand at 9th, behind Bangladesh, while South Africa are currently 1st ahead of England.

New Zealand had a very difficult year nonetheless in ODI cricket last year, with only 4 victories from 15 matches. 3 of these were against Zimbabwe and 1 against the West Indies. Excluding Zimbabwe they lost all series played - South Africa 0-3, West Indies 1-4 and Sri Lanka 0-3. Pretty disappointing from a team who prides themselves by their competitive nature and also the fact that ODI cricket would be their preferred format. Meanwhile South Africa won 8 of 13 matches with series results of 3-2 against Sri Lanka, 3-0 against New Zealand and 2-2 against England.

Apart from South Africa's 3-0 defeat of New Zealand in early 2012, they last played in a bilateral series in 2007, in South Africa, where the home side won 2-1. New Zealand did however knock off the South Africans in a major upset in the 2011 ICC World Cup Quarter Finals.

The clear expectation of this series is 3-0 to the South Africans. Interest in apparently already dwindling in South Africa, with more focus being put on the upcoming Pakistan tour. New Zealand though need to fight to ensure that something positive comes out of this tour.

Fixtures
19th January: 1st ODI @ Boland Park, Paarl
22nd January: 2nd ODI @ De Beers Diamond Oval, Kimberley
25th January: 3rd ODI @ Senwes Park, Potchefstroom

South Africa clean up the kiwis

South Africa defeat New Zealand by an innings and 193 runs
SA 525/8d
NZ 121 and 211 (f/o)

New Zealand started Day 4 hoping to hold off South Africa's charge for victory for as long as possible, but their resistance was futile, as they lost the last six wickets inside 20 overs, consequently losing by an innings and 193 runs. Brownlie only added nine runs to his overnight score before being dismissed by Kallis. Meanwhile the other not out batsman BJ Watling made 63 before being bowled by Steyn in the second over of the new ball. New Zealand ended up being bowled out for 211, only 90 more than their first innings score. All South African bowlers contributed with Steyn taking three wickets, Morkel two, Kleinveldt two, Peterson two and Kallis one.

Overall although this domination by South Africa was expected, it is still disappointing for New Zealand. Two innings defeats in two tests is not a good result at all for New Zealand cricket, as at least some positives could be taken from the tour if they fought a bit more. In the test format there is no respite for New Zealand with their next five matches being against England (three at home and two away). Although the probable return of Ross Taylor will help, any win will be a major surprise. Before this series they were in 8th on the Test Rankings 13 points adrift of the West Indies. Over the year or two, I really do not see anywhere but down the table for the New Zealanders.

The 1st ODI  of the 3 match series starts on Saturday, with New Zealand desperate to end the series om a high. Although given New Zealand are 9th on the ODI rankings (South Africa 2nd), an even bigger mismatch could be on the cards. I will post a preview to the series later in the week.

Full scorecard to the second test here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/match/567357.html

South Africa still in charge

South Africa have maintained their control of the 2nd Test against New Zealand by taking 8 wickets on Day 3. After starting the day at 47/6, New Zealand managed to recover somewhat and get to 121. This was on the back of BJ Watling who made more than half of the visitor's score with 63. Steyn led the South African bowling attack taking five wickets for only 17 runs off 13 overs. A superb innings of bowling for Steyn!

After having the follow on enforced (no surprises there), New Zealand made it to 157/4 at Stumps. Martin Guptill scratched around for 48 off 122 balls, after which Williamson and Flynn both got dismissed cheaply by Peterson and Kleindveldt respectively. At 84/4 another sub 150 score could have been on the cards, but both Brownlie and first innings top scorer Watling put on a unbeaten partnership of 73. Brownlie is 44*, with Watling on 41*.

Hopefully these guys can continue to fight it out today. New Zealand still trail by 247 runs, so eradicating that deficit will be the challenge (an incredibly tough one mind you!)

Full scorecard as at the end of Day 3 here on Cricinfo
http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-new-zealand-2012/engine/current/match/567357.html

Deja Vu for New Zealand

After South Africa compiled 525/8d, New Zealand stuttered once again crawling to 47/6 by stumps on Day 2 of the second test. Steyn, Kleindvelt and Robin Peterson took 2 wickets each, decimating the New Zealand top order. Brendon McCullum was the only batsman to offer any form of resistance, and lasted 97 minutes for his 13, but got out to the spinner, after surviving the pace battery.

Earlier Faf du Plessis scored 137, while Dean Elgar scored his first test century making 103* before Graeme Smith declared the innings.

I cannot see any way New Zealand can recover in this match as they are still 278 runs behind the follow on target. Honestly there is a good chance that the match could be in fact over today given the kiwi batting line up. It's really disappointing for world cricket to see New Zealand being dominated like this, but  they are simply not even in the same stratosphere as the no.1 ranked South Africans.