Vettori ruled out of second Test against England
by AFP
Leeds: Daniel Vettori was on Thursday ruled out of playing in the second and final Test against England starting at Leeds on Friday after doubts over his ability to last a five-day match.

Former captain Vettori hasn't played a Test for nearly a year, mainly because of Achilles trouble, and was only originally selected for the one-day leg of this tour.

But a calf injury suffered by his fellow left-arm spinner Bruce Martin during New Zealand's thumping 170-run first Test defeat at Lord's saw Vettori make an earlier than expected arrival in England.

He trained on Wednesday but New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum told reporters at Headingley on Thursday: "Dan is out of tomorrow's [Friday's] game. He didn't scrub up that well... it was a bridge too far."...more    
06:14 PM, May 23, 2013

Alastair Cook expects hard work against NZ at Headingley
by AFP
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...  
06:00 PM, May 23, 2013

Khawaja eager to cement a Test spot during Ashes
by AFP
Sydney: Usman Khawaja says he is desperate to emerge from the periphery and consolidate a regular spot in the Australian team for this year's Ashes series against England. The Pakistan-born batsman, 26, who made his Test debut almost 18 months ago but has only played in six Tests, is looking to the July-August series in England to finally confirm himself as a top-notch batsman. "I've done a lot of hard...  
01:34 PM, May 23, 2013

New Zealand bowler Wagner wants to get under England's skin
by AFP
Leeds: New Zealand's Neil Wagner said on Wednesday he wanted to make England batsmen "hate him" and "get in their face" as the Black Caps look to square the Test series with victory at Headingley. England won the first Test of this two-match campaign with a commanding 170-run success, achieved with more than a day to spare, at Lord's last week after skittling New Zealand out for a mere 68...  
01:08 PM, May 23, 2013

2nd Test: England look to seal series against New Zealand 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

England's Joe Root hopes to build on Lord's success
by AFP
Leeds: Joe Root said on Wednesday that England would look to carry on from where they left off against New Zealand at Lord's during the second and final Test at his Headingley home ground. England skittled out New Zealand for just 68 at Lord's on Sunday to secure a 170-run win that left them 1-0 up in a two-match series heading into the second Test, which starts on Friday. "The...  
09:31 PM, May 22, 2013

New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling ruled out of Headingley Test
by AFP
Leeds: New Zealand wicketkeeper BJ Watling was ruled out Wednesday of the second and final Test against England at Headingley starting Friday. Watling injured his knee during New Zealand's 170-run first Test defeat at Lord's last week. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who deputised behind the stumps at Lord's, will keep at Headingley with Martin Guptill coming into the team to bat at number six, a Black Caps statement issued...  
08:31 PM, May 22, 2013

Underdogs Australia ready for Ashes scrap: Clarke Sydney: Australia are rightly underdogs for the upcoming Ashes series in England but will do everything they can to bring the coveted urn back home, skipper Michael Clarke said on Wednesday. There was more talk of aspiration than expectation as the Australia squad officially bid farewell to the country in a ceremony at Sydney airport before their departure for England at the weekend. England hold the Ashes after a convincing...  
11:22 AM, May 22, 2013

Ian Bell declared fit for Headingley Test London: England named an unchanged squad for the second Test against New Zealand starting on Friday after batsman Ian Bell was declared fit following a bout of tonsillitis. Bell climbed out of his sick bed to take his place at the crease in the first Test won in stunning fashion by England on Sunday but had been a doubt for Headingley. Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root will get...  
03:06 PM, May 21, 2013

Vettori set to replace injured Martin for 2nd Test
by AFP
London: New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori could return to action in the second Test against England this week after Bruce Martin was ruled out of the rest of the tour with a calf injury. Vettori has not played for the Black Caps for almost a year because of a hamstring injury and was left out of the squad for the two-Test series in England. But with Martin sidelined by the...  
07:15 PM, May 20, 2013

West Indies begin preparation for ICC Champions Trophy
by IANS
Bridgetown: The West Indies will kick off preparations for next month's Champions Trophy in England when they embark on a five-day camp at the High Performance Centre (HPC) at the 3Ws Oval starting here on Monday. The sessions will be overseen by West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson with assistant coach Tony Radford and the HPC's Andre Coley, also involved in the squad's preparation. The players are expected to begin...  
01:15 PM, May 20, 2013

New Zealand media muted in critique of first Test loss Wellington: New Zealand's media were muted in their reaction to their side being bundled out for just 68 runs to give England a 170-run victory in the first Test at Lord's on Sunday, instead turning their focus towards the second match in Leeds. Their second innings score, sparked by Stuart Broad's career-best figures of seven for 44, was New Zealand's ninth-lowest in their 83-year Test history. Unlike the furore that...  
11:25 AM, May 20, 2013

Cook satisfied as England hit the ground running London: England captain Alastair Cook was satisfied with his team's performance after they beat New Zealand by 170 runs in a fluctuating first Test at Lord's on Sunday. Widely criticised following the recent 0-0 series draw in New Zealand against a side ranked six places below them, England produced a disciplined bowling display to skittle the touring side for 68 in their second innings. "It was a good Test win...  
09:45 PM, May 19, 2013

Stuart Broad sets up huge win for England at Lords London: With nearly two days to beat England in the first Test at Lord's, New Zealand looked like they might not last two hours after reaching lunch at 29-6 on the fourth day. Tasked with defending 238 to prevent their first loss to the Kiwis in 14 years, England were set to win big and with more than a day to spare. Stuart Broad caused most of the carnage, snaring...  
07:22 PM, May 19, 2013

England to tour West Indies in February next year
by IANS
St.John's, Antigua: England and West Indies will play three Twenty20 matches and three One-Day Internationals in the Caribbean early next year, the West Indies Cricket Board announced. The three One-Day Internationals will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua while Kensington Oval in Barbados will host the T20 games, the WICB said Saturday. The Twenty20 matches will be the last before the West Indies defend their...  
06:06 PM, May 19, 2013

As it happened: England vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Day 4. CLICK HERE for live ball-by-ball updates from day four of the first Test between England and New Zealand being played at Lord's in London. Day 3 Round-up: James Anderson and Steven Finn continued the good work from the previous day and bowled out New Zealand for 207. England's second innings did not get the start it needed as both openers Alastair Cook and Nick Compton departed in quick successions. Joe...  
02:48 PM, May 19, 2013

England lead NZ by 205 after 3 days at Lord's London: After two days of being oppressed by New Zealand, England broke the stranglehold in impressive style to take charge halfway through the first Test at Lord's on Saturday. First, New Zealand was dismissed for 207 to give England a first-innings lead of 25, a significant amount on a tricky, soft pitch. That lead was then boosted from 25 to 205, as Joe Root and Jonathan Trott found runs easy...  
11:36 PM, May 18, 2013