
Leeds: England captain Alastair Cook believes Headingley will be far from the bowling-friendly ground of old when the second Test against New Zealand starts at Yorkshire's headquarters on Friday. England shot out the Black Caps for just 68 in their second innings at Lord's last week to set-up a 170-run win that put them go 1-0 up in a two-match series.
Stuart Broad, with a Test-best seven for 44, and James Anderson -- who took his 300th Test wicket at Lord's -- did the bulk of the damage. But Cook said on Thursday he did not expect the new-ball duo to have things all their own way on a Headingley pitch once renowned for aiding seamers. "Over the last couple of years there have been some high-scoring games here and it's quite similar to Lord's," Cook told Sky Sports News. "If it's sunny it can be a nice pitch to bat on and we will have to work hard in every session."
Prior to their Lord's encounter, England had been held to a 0-0 draw in a three-match Test series in New Zealand. And last week's clash at Lord's saw the Black Caps push England hard until an hour before lunch on the fourth day when they collapsed to 29 for six. "If you look at it without the emotive side of last week's game, it was nip and tuck for three days," said opening batsman Cook. "We had to work very hard in those three days to

06:00 PM, May 23, 2013

London: Buoyed by Stuart Broad's match-winning burst at Lord's, England will look to seal a series win over New Zealand in the second and final Test starting at Headingley on Friday before turning their attention to Australia in July. Broad's seven-wicket haul in the second innings of the first Test bowled England to a 170-run victory as New Zealand were skittled for just 68 having matched the hosts for three...

10:04 AM, May 23, 2013

London: In the curtain-raiser to an action-packed English summer of international cricket, New Zealand stole the show by limiting England to a plodding 160-4 on the first day of the first Test at Lord's. The stage was set for England to show their true colors on Thursday, with the team back at full strength, at cricket's HQ, and desperate to rectify for a humbling series draw in New Zealand two...

11:06 PM, May 16, 2013

Sydney: England will have 33 scheduled international playing days on their Ashes tour to Australia starting in November, Cricket Australia said on Thursday. The tour programme includes five Tests, a streamlined five one-day international series, three Twenty20 internationals and five other tour games. The Ashes Test series begins at Brisbane's Gabba ground on November 21 with further Tests in Adelaide (December 5-9), Perth (December 13-17), Melbourne (December 26-30) and the...

04:58 PM, May 16, 2013

New Zealand bowlers kept a check on the run-rate as England batsman got out after getting starts. Trent Boult got 2 two wickets with Martin and Wagner taking one each. CLICK HERE for live ball-by-ball updates from day one of the first Test between England and New Zealand being played at Lord's in London. PLAYING XIs: ENGLAND: 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Nick Compton, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell,...

02:37 PM, May 16, 2013

London: England were not complacent or under-prepared during their disappointing tour of New Zealand this year, captain Alastair Cook said on Wednesday. England, the world's second-ranked side, were outplayed by their eighth-ranked hosts and only a courageous century by Matt Prior and a rearguard batting effort on the final day secured the draw in the third test that left the series level at 0-0. "It was not a lack of...

08:31 PM, May 15, 2013

London: Graeme Swann and Tim Bresnan have both been recalled by England in a 12-man squad announced Saturday for next week's first Test against New Zealand at Lord's following their respective recoveries from elbow surgery. Off-spinner Swann and seamer Bresnan both last played Test cricket in the series-clinching win over India in Nagpur in December and missed the recent drawn three-Test series in New Zealand. However, Nottinghamshire's Swann and Yorkshire's...

03:27 PM, May 11, 2013

London: Essex were glad to have England captain Alastair Cook on board for a rare County Championship appearance as 15 wickets fell on a dramatic first day against Hampshire at Chelmsford on Monday. The opening batsman finished the opening day of this four-day Second Division clash unbeaten on 25 in an Essex total of 5 for 72 after the hosts had dismissed Hampshire for a seemingly meagre 197 featuring 60...

10:00 AM, Apr 30, 2013

Wellington: A galvanised New Zealand head to Britain on Monday determined to finish off a job they came so close to completing in a thrilling climax to their drawn Test series against Alastair Cook's England at home last month. Brendon McCullum's underdogs had the entire Eden Park crowd on the edge of their seats as they got to within one wicket distance of achieving a remarkable 1-0 series victory over...

02:57 PM, Apr 29, 2013

London: England captain Alastair Cook believes his team could be on the verge of a period of sustained dominance which would peak with a World Cup triumph in two years. Cook is confident England's recent lacklustre displays in the drawn Test series against New Zealand were just a blip that will soon be forgotten as they head into a frenetic programme over the next few months. England play New Zealand...

07:52 PM, Apr 05, 2013

Redemption was not a word McCullum would bother to countenance after his side were denied a Test series victory against England. ...

04:45 PM, Mar 27, 2013

Alastair Cook found himself pacing around the dressing room as the three-match Test series against New Zealand drew to a gripping climax at Eden Park on Tuesday. ...

02:57 PM, Mar 26, 2013

England captain Alastair Cook breathed a sigh of relief that his side managed to scrape out a nail-biting draw in the series-deciding third Test against New Zealand on Tuesday, though disappointment was the over-riding emotion. ...

02:02 PM, Mar 26, 2013

The wicket of Cook gave New Zealand a firm grip over the deciding Test against England at the Eden Park, Auckland. ...

01:19 PM, Mar 25, 2013

The visitors were reduced to 90 for four in their second innings by the close of play on Monday, chasing an improbable 481 to win the match. ...

12:41 PM, Mar 25, 2013

England were reduced to 50 for 2 at the end of the second day of the third match Test after bowling New Zealand out for 443. ...

02:29 PM, Mar 23, 2013

Peter Fulton (124) and Kane Williamson (83) added an unbeaten 171 for the second wicket as the hosts closed the day on 250 for 1 against England. ...

02:36 AM, Mar 22, 2013