London: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and key batsman Ross Taylor are set for an earlier than anticipated arrival in England after being granted early release by their Indian Premier League sides. The pair was not expected to arrive on the tour of England until after the completion of this weekend's inaugural three-day warm-up match against Derbyshire. But McCullum and Taylor will now have more time to get used to...
09:07 AM, May 03, 2013
London: New Zealand have arrived in London with coach Mike Hesson insisting the Black Caps are determined to be more than just a warm-up act for the Ashes series later in the English season. Such is the interest in the Ashes, which pits England against arch-rivals Australia in the latest edition of cricket's oldest Test rivalry, that many fans in the sport's birthplace could be forgiven for not noticing New...
01:45 AM, May 02, 2013
Karachi: The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has vowed to fight on to get the result of its Asia-Oceania Group II tie of the Davis Cup against New Zealand overturned by the International Tennis Federation. The ITF, in a statement, today said it has rejected Pakistan's appeal against the decision of the referee to award the Davis Cup tie in Yangon, Myanmar to New Zealand because of unplayable court conditions. Pakistan...
12:08 AM, May 02, 2013
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson warned England on Wednesday not to treat his side as the starter before they tuck into the main course of the Ashes series against Australia. England host New Zealand for two Tests, the first at Lord's starting on May 16 and the second in Leeds on May 24, before playing back-to-back Ashes series later this year. "These are two hugely important Test matches for us,"...
11:38 PM, May 01, 2013
New Delhi: The International Tennis Federation (ITF) have rejected Pakistan's appeal against the awarding of their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II tie to New Zealand, the governing body said on Wednesday. Designated hosts Pakistan were disqualified from last month's Davis Cup tie, played in Myanmar because of security concerns, after referee Ashita Ajigala ruled that the grass court in Yangon had become unplayable and dangerous. The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF)...
04:29 PM, May 01, 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
Wellington: New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum has dropped his defamation action against former Test player John Parker after Parker retracted and apologised for comments linking McCullum to the sacking of his predecessor Ross Taylor. McCullum's lawyers on Tuesday issued a statement in which Parker withdrew his claim that McCullum had advance knowledge of coach Mike Hesson's intention to remove Taylor as New Zealand captain. The claim was contained in...
08:29 AM, Apr 23, 2013
New Delhi: Former Kiwi fast bowler Simon Doull hopes that India will play a full series in New Zealand where they are scheduled to tour early next year. Doull's comments came in the wake of reports suggesting that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wants to trim the away series to accommodate the Asia Cup. "I heard about that. It doesn't sound good. I hope they stick...
04:00 PM, Apr 19, 2013
Wellington: New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum said on Friday he plans to sue former player John Parker for defamation over allegations surrounding his appointment as skipper late last year. McCullum, 31, took over from Ross Taylor in controversial circumstances in December, prompting criticism of both the new captain and national coach Mike Hesson from sections of the New Zealand cricketing community. A nine-page report leaked to media this month...
12:09 PM, Apr 19, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan hopes to restart their Davis Cup tie against New Zealand in an appeal to the International Tennis Federation against awarding the match to New Zealand this month. Pakistan was up 1-0 and leading the second singles at Yangon, Myanmar, when Sri Lankan referee Ashita Ajigala declared the grass-court unplayable and ruled the Asia-Oceania Group II tie in New Zealand's favor. Waqar Yousuf, the secretary of the Pakistan Tennis...
03:07 PM, Apr 17, 2013
London: England batsman Kevin Pietersen has been ruled out of the two-Test home series against New Zealand in May as he struggles to overcome a right knee injury. The England and Wales Cricket Board says on Tuesday that Pietersen "will have a repeat scan next week to determine when he is able to resume training." Pietersen, who bruised bones in his knee in March during England's tour of New Zealand,...
03:19 PM, Apr 16, 2013
New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is in negotiations with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to trim down its tour scheduled for February-March next year, The New Zealand Herald reported on Tuesday. India are to play three Tests, five ODIs and one T20 international on the tour that, according to NZC chief executive David White, BCCI wants to be shortened to two matches each in the...
12:38 PM, Apr 16, 2013
Auckland: Japanese shuttler Riichi Takeshita and Deng Xuan of China won the men's and women's singles titles, respectively, at the New Zealand Open Grand Prix here on Sunday. Eleventh seed Takeshita beat Xue Song of China 21-16, 16-21, 21-17 in one hour and two minutes at the North Shore Events Centre. Among the women, Song's third seeded compatriot Deng overcame unseeded Akane Yamaguchi of Japan in a marathon battle which...
07:05 PM, Apr 14, 2013
Auckland: India's campaign at the New Zealand Badminton Open ended on Friday after Ajay Jayaram and Arvind Bhat lost their respective quarter-final matches of the men's singles event here. While Jayaram, seeded third, retired from his quarter-final tie to hand over qualifier Xue Song of China a place in the last four stage of the tournament, Bhat went down tamely to second seed Jen Hao Hsu of Chinese Taipei. Having...
05:51 PM, Apr 12, 2013
Auckland: Indian shuttlers Ajay Jayaram and Arvind Bhat moved into the men's singles third round of the New Zealand Open Grand Prix here on Thursday. However, it was the end of the road for fifth seed Anand Pawar, 14th seed Chetan Anand, fourth seed RMV Gurusaidutt and for Sarada Jasti in women's singles. Third seed Jayaram overcame Norwegian Marius Myhre 24-22, 21-5 in 26 minutes and 13th seed Bhat eased...
04:21 PM, Apr 11, 2013
Auckland: Indian shuttlers started their campaign in the New Zealand Badminton Open on a high, comprehensively winning their respective first round matches of the men's singles event here on Wednesday. All the Indians in the fray - Ajay Jayaram, RMV Gurusaidutt, Anand Pawar, Chetan Anand, Arvind Bhat and Kirtesh Dhindhwal - advanced to the second round of the tournament with straight-game victories. While third seed Jayaram got the better of...
04:56 PM, Apr 10, 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
Bridgetown (Barbados): New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has become the latest international cricketer to link up with the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) set to begin in July. Taylor, one of the hottest commodities in Twenty20 cricket, has been confirmed as the tournament's third international franchise player, organisers announced on Thursday, reports CMC. The former New Zealand captain has played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in...
05:56 PM, Apr 05, 2013
Wellington: Former Test captain Daniel Vettori and top order batsman Martin Guptill have been recalled for New Zealand's tour of England in May and June after recovering from injury. Vettori, who has been battling a long-term Achilles injury, was included in the ODI squad that will also contest Champions Trophy in June, but not the Test side. The 34-year-old retired from limited-overs cricket following the 2011 World Cup in a...
08:13 AM, Apr 05, 2013
Wellington: New Zealand Cricket has condemned as "hearsay, speculation and rumour" a report prepared by a group of former Test players that criticises its handling of the sacking of former Test captain Ross Taylor. The nine-page report, prepared by a group convened by former New Zealand captain John Parker, attacks the governance of New Zealand Cricket and the role in Taylor's sacking played by coach Mike Hesson, new captain Brendon...
11:12 AM, Apr 04, 2013
