CLICK HERE for Live Updates from Day 2 of the Headingley Test after rain washed out the opening day's play. Playing XIs: England: Alastair Cook (capt), Nick Compton, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson New Zealand: Peter Fulton, Hamish Rutherford, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Dean Brownlie, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (capt/wk), Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner,...
02:52 PM, May 25, 2013
London: England Under-21 winger Andros Townsend has withdrawn from the squad for June's European Championship in Israel after being charged by the FA with alleged betting offences. "The FA has announced it has charged Andros Townsend in relation to alleged breaches of its rules governing misconduct and betting," an FA statement said on Friday. "The Tottenham Hotspur player has been charged with breaches of Rule E8 (b) in relation to...
09:21 AM, May 25, 2013
Leeds: Play was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the opening day of the second and final Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley due to persistent rain. The downpours left the outfield saturated on a chilly day. A better forecast is in prospect for the weekend with sunny spells and warmer temperatures. England won the first Test by 170 runs at Lord's. ...
09:29 PM, May 24, 2013
London: The British government on Friday defended the country's security services against criticism they missed signs which might have helped prevent the brutal murder of a soldier on a street of south-east London. MI5 now faces a House of Commons inquiry after it was confirmed the two terror suspects arrested over his murder were known to the national security agency. But Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said it was impossible to...
03:59 PM, May 24, 2013
Stumps: The first day's play of the second Test between England and New Zealand was abandoned due to rain. TOSS DELAYED: It's raining in Leeds, and even if it stops right now, we are in for an at least 90-minute delay. But the rain doesn't look like relenting at the moment, keeping the ground under covers. Ground News: The conditions are freezing as we approach the toss time. Heavy wind...
02:34 PM, May 24, 2013
London: Reports of smoke coming out the rear of a plane caused chaos at London's Heathrow Airport and forced the authorities to shut down two runways on Friday. A British Airways flight, on way to Oslo, was forced to make an emergency landing and all passengers were safely evacuated. One of the two runways was opened later on and the aircraft took off from London safely. Authorities ruled out any...
02:27 PM, May 24, 2013
Many fear that the soldier beheading incident in London would spark reprisal attacks against Muslims. England's far-right protest groups called for a protest shortly after the attack in Woolwich. The English Defense League used social media to rally its supporters. ...
10:33 AM, May 24, 2013
Leeds: Spinner and former skipper Daniel Vettori ruled himself out of the second Test at Headingley, ensuring New Zealand will take on England with an all-pace attack from Friday. Vettori's decision to put the team first rather than play a 112th Test and become the sole New Zealand record-holder for caps, means fast bowler Doug Bracewell will complement a seam attack with Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner. "It's...
08:35 AM, May 24, 2013
Leeds: Kevin Pietersen remains a talking point, even when he's injured, and so it was that England captain Alastair Cook found himself being quizzed about the star batsman in Leeds on the eve of the second and final Test against New Zealand at Headingley. It was at Headingley last year that Pietersen scored a spectacular century against his native South Africa only to say that it was "difficult being me"....
08:33 AM, May 24, 2013
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...
06:14 PM, May 23, 2013
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
