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‘Final mission’: NZ name star trio for T20 World Cup defence

admin — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:43:00 +0000

Retiring New Zealand cricket greats Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu were named on Wednesday (April 29, 2026) in the White Ferns’ Women’s T20 World Cup squad for their “final mission” of defending the title.
| Photo Credit: ICC

The 15-strong squad is led by star all-rounder Amelia Kerr and features 10 players who won the title in Dubai in 2024, beating South Africa in the final.

Published – April 30, 2026 02:13 am IST

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Hridoy’s half-century leads Bangladesh past New Zealand in T20 series opener

admin — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 20:20:00 +0000

Bangladesh’s Tawhid Hridoy (L) reacts after scoring a half-century (50 runs) during the first T20 international cricket match between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Bir Sreshtho Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman Stadium in Chittagong on April 27, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Tawhid Hridoy’s half-century led Bangladesh to a six-wicket victory against New Zealand to open their T20 international series on Monday (April 27, 2026).

Hridoy finished 51 not out from 27 balls, including two fours and three sixes. He shared a 57-run partnership with Parvez Hossain and another 49 with Shamim Hossain in an unbeaten fifth wicket to help Bangladesh race to the victory.

Published – April 28, 2026 01:50 am IST

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New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon meets Akal Takht Jathedar, discusses Sikh community contributions

admin — Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:03:00 +0000

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Sunday (April 19, 2026) visited the Guru Nanak Sikh Sangat Gurdwara in Otahuhu, Auckland, where he held a special meeting with Giani Kuldip Singh Gargajj, Jathedar of Akal Takht Sahib.

During the meeting, they discussed ways to promote mutual harmony, understanding, and inclusivity among the Sikh community and other communities residing in New Zealand. They also deliberated on the significant contributions made by Sikhs towards the country’s development and strengthening the community here.

Published – April 19, 2026 11:33 am IST

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Watch: Landslides hit New Zealand’s Mount Maunganui

admin — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:01:00 +0000

Watch: Landslides hit New Zealand’s Mount Maunganui

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Santner surge in vain, West Indies defends 164 to beat New Zealand by 7 runs

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 22:20:00 +0000

New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner bats during the T20 cricket international between New Zealand and the West Indies in Auckland, New Zealand, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

The West Indies bowled superbly in defence of a moderate total to beat New Zealand by seven runs on Wednesday (November 5, 2025) in the first game of a five-match Twenty20 series.

Captain Shai Hope top-scored with 53 from 39 balls as the West Indies made 164-6 after losing the toss and batting first on a pitch that was two-paced and unpredictable.

New Zealand was then going well at 70-2 in the 10th over, before losing seven wickets for 37 runs to slump to 107-9 in the 17th over.

The match seemed over but New Zealand captain Mitch Santner fanned home fans’ hopes with an outstanding display of power hitting as he made 55 from 28 balls.

Santner hit four fours and a six from the 18th over bowled by Matthew Forde, then three fours from the first three balls of the 19th over from Jason Holder.

New Zealand came to the final over needing 20 to win and Santner hit the third ball from Romario Shepherd for six.

But Santner couldn’t keep up the assault, taking only two runs from the next two balls before hitting a boundary from the final delivery.

“I think the way the West Indies bowled in the middle there, they really put pressure on us,” Santner said. “I guess we weren’t really able to go anywhere. We were reasonably happy with 164 at the turns but it was one of those nights I guess.”

The West Indies came to New Zealand from their series in Bangladesh and it seemed likely they would struggle in very different conditions where the ball swings and the bounce is more pronounced.

Eden Park usually provides pace and bounce, but Wednesday’s pitch was originally prepared for a rained-out Twenty20 against England last month and lacked its usual zip.

It produced a major challenge for all batters when the ball was banged into the surface.

The West Indies lost Brandon King (3) to the last ball of the first over of their innings from Jake Duffy. Alick Athanaze (16), who was lucky to avoid being run out at the non-striker’s end when he was 2, was eventually caught by Mark Chapman off Kyle Jamieson when he skied a pull shot.

The West Indies were 32-2 after the first power play.

Hope reached his ninth T20 half century with a six off Zak Foulkes’ bowling, then was clean bowled next ball swinging across the line at a delivery that stayed low.

Roston Chase (28) and Rovman Powell (33) put on 49 for the fifth wicket. Powell hit two fours and two sixes in a 23-ball knock, giving impetus to the innings as the West Indies added 53 in the last five overs.

New Zealand was 48-1 after the power play, losing Devon Conway (13) in the fourth over to a ball from Matthew Forde that was angled sharply in to the left-hander and pierced his tentative defensive shot. Tim Robinson (27) was out to the first ball after the power play.

New Zealand then became bogged down. Boundaries were rare and the fall of wickets regular as the Black Caps fell behind the run rate.

Chase bowled four excellent overs of off-spin to claim 3-26 and Jayden Seales took 3-32.

The teams meet again at the same venue on Thursday.

Published – November 06, 2025 03:50 am IST

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Kiwi pace bowler Will O’Rourke out for 3 months with stress fracture

admin — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 22:25:00 +0000

New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

New Zealand fast bowler Will O’Rourke will be sidelined for up to three months because of a stress fracture in his lower back.

O’Rourke sustained the injury during New Zealand’s test series in Zimbabwe earlier this month.

He will not have to undergo surgery but will take part in a strength and conditioning program.

O’Rourke is likely to miss New Zealand’s Twenty20 series against Australia, the T20 and one-day series against England in October and white ball series against the West Indies in November. He could return for New Zealand’s three-test series against the West Indies in December.

The 24-year-old O’Rourke has quickly become a mainstay of New Zealand’s pace attack, taking 39 wickets in 11 tests since his debut against South Africa last year.

Published – August 27, 2025 03:55 am IST

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Pakistan Face Brutal Criticism, Asked To Leave Champions Trophy And Join Series With Zimbabwe

admin — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 04:54:58 +0000

Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan in action© AFP

Pakistan got off to a forgettable start in their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign as they lost against New Zealand by 60 runs. Opting to bowl first, Pakistan gave away 320 runs after Will Young and Tom Latham smashed centuries. Later, the hosts got bundled out for 260 as their batters completely failed to put up a strong fight against the Kiwis. For New Zealand, skipper Mitchell Santner and William O’Rourke scalped three wickets each. After this loss, former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal slammed Mohammad Rizwan and co for their poor performance.

In a conversation on ARY News, Kamran asked lashed out at Team Pakistan and called them undeserving for Champions Trophy.

“Zimbabwe aur Ireland ki series ho rahi hai, udhar jaayein. Wahan jaake khelein aur agar hum udhar jeette hain toh hum deserve karte hain (Champions Trophy). Humari iss tarah ki cricket ho rahi hai. Itni neeche gir gayi hai humari cricket pichle 6-7 saal mein. (There’s a series going on between Zimbabwe and Ireland. Go there and play with them. And if you win against them, then only you deserve to play the Champions Trophy. This is condition of Pakistan cricket. Our cricket standards have fallen drastically in the last 6-7 years.)” said Kamran.

During the Champions Trophy opener, New Zealand were struggling at 73/3 but centuries from Will Young and Tom Latham helped them reach 320/5 in 50 overs. Kamran went on to praise New Zealand for their mature brand of cricket.

“They (New Zealand) were three wickets down in the early stages of the match. Look at their maturity that they took time, rotated the strike and started firing only after getting the full control. This is what a mature team does. They always come with a backup plan. Their batter Rachin Ravindra got injured and even his replacement (Will Young) scored a century,” said Kamran.

After the match, Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan admitted that the team made mistakes against the Kiwis.

“They made a good target, we didn’t expect that. We were looking at something around 260. We tried our best and used all tactics, but they played well and put up a good target. We see the pitch conditions, earlier the pitch wasn’t easy to bat but when Will Young and Latham got together batted it got easier. At the end, we made the same mistake like we did in Lahore and they made a good target,” said Rizwan during the post match presentation.

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“No Intention To Improve”: Shoaib Akhtar Blasts Babar Azam For Sluggish Knock In Champions Trophy Opener

admin — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 17:14:52 +0000

Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar criticised star batter Babar Azam for his slow and conservative knock against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy opener, saying that the batter has “no intention to improve”. Babar’s sluggish approach in ODIs made headlines as he made a 90-ball 64 against NZ while chasing 321 in the Champions Trophy opener. His strike rate was extremely underwhelming at 71.11, leaving Pakistan 60 runs short of a win and their net run rate slipped to -1.20. Their next match against arch-rivals India on Sunday has become a virtual knockout.

Speaking in the post-match analysis show ‘Game On Hai’ as quoted by Wisden, Shoaib said, “Babar Azam has become the product he had to become; it is visible; what can I debate about it?. You saw it (against New Zealand). There is no intention to improve.”

“You cannot run a team by acting like Maula Jatt (violent Pakistani fictional character) – ‘Bring this, do this, do that’ etc. You’re not playing T20. You can play T20 cricket with T20 skills, but in longer formats you need awareness, intelligence and method as well. How do you create this package?”

“They used to teach us way back in the 80s and 90s in club cricket how to play run-a-ball. Even us tailenders knew that we have to play run-a-ball,” he concluded.

Babar’s knock of 64 in 90 balls, was his fifth-slowest 50-plus score in ODIs, with his slowest being an 86-ball fifty against NZ back in 2023. While Babar was no doubt at fault, he did not get much support from top order, who also played extremely conservative cricket, with Saud Shakeel (6 off 19), Mohammad Rizwan (3 off 14), and Fakhar Zaman (24 off 41) failing to fire. In the middle order, Salman Agha (42 in 28 balls, with six fours and a six) and Khusdil Shah (69 in 49 balls, with 10 fours and a six) did come good, but it was not enough as Pakistan was bundled out for 260 in 47.2 overs.

In contrast, Kiwis had well-made centuries from Will Young (107 in 113 balls, with 12 fours and a six) and Tom Latham (118 in 104 balls, with 10 fours and three sixes) and an explosive 61 in 39 balls by Glenn Phillips, which had three fours and four sixes.

In his last 10 ODIs, Babar has scored 354 runs in 10 innings at an average of 44.25, with a strike rate of over 76 and three fifties, with best score of 73. He has not scored an international ton since his century against Nepal in August 2023 during the Asia Cup.

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Champions Trophy Points Table After India’s Win vs Bangladesh: Semi-Final Qualification Scenarios Of All Teams

admin — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:32:17 +0000

The first round of matches in Group A of the Champions Trophy 2025 are over. After New Zealand’s comprehensive win over Pakistan in Karachi on Wednesday, India overcame a gritty Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday. Currently, New Zealand lead the table (2 points, NRR +1.200) followed by India (2 points, NRR +0.408). Bangladesh are third in the table from Group A (0 points, NRR -0.408) while Pakistan are fourth (0 points, NRR – 1.200). India’s next round of matches are on February 23 (vs Pakistan) and March 2 (vs New Zealand). Apart from the India fixture, Pakistan face Bangladesh on February 27 in Rawalpindi. For New Zealand, apart from the India clash, the other match is against Bangladesh on February 24.

The equation is simple for India and New Zealand. If they win their next matches against Pakistan and Bangladesh respectively, they will be through to the semi-finals. Even if they lose the next match, they will still have a chance to enter the semi-finals by winning the last game where they will face each other.

For Pakistan and Bangladesh, the equation is tricky. Their next matches are almost do-or-die. A loss could knock them out, while a win will only take them to two points. It will not take them to the semi-finals but will keep them alive. If Pakistan win their next match (vs India) and Bangladesh win vs New Zealand, then the matches between the two teams on February 27 will be virtual quarter-final.

There is another possibility, three of the four teams can remain on one win each too. E.g. New Zealand lose to India and Bangladesh. Then, Pakistan lose to India but win against Bangladesh. In that scenario, India will be on six points but New Zealand, Bangladesh and Pakistan will be on two points each. In such a scenario, the second semi-finalist will be decided via run-rate.

A brilliant century by Shubman Gill and five-wicket haul by Mohammed Shami were the highlights as India defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in their ICC Champions Trophy campaign opener at Dubai on Thursday.

Chasing 229 runs set thanks to a fighting 154-run stand by Towhid Hridoy, India got off to a fine start with a 69-run opening stand. They lost their way a bit, struggling at 144/4, but Gill and KL Rahul took India to the finishing line.

During the run-chase of 229 runs, openers skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill once again gave a fine start to India. In the sixth over by Mustafizur Rahman, Rohit hit three fours. At the end of eighth over, India was past 50-run mark thanks to a four by the captain.

Gill piled on some boundaries in the next over. But India’s opening 69-run stand was ended by Taskin Ahmed as a mistimed loft by Rohit landed in Rishad Hossain‘s hands, ending his knock at 41 in 36 balls, with seven fours.

Virat Kohli was next up on the crease, but struggled against spinners. India reached the 100-run mark in 20 overs.

However, the 42-run stand between him and Gill was ended by Rishad, who removed Virat for a 38-ball 22 as a cut shot by him was caught by Soumya at backward point. India was 111/2 in 22.4 overs.

While Gill reached his fourth successive fifty-plus score in ODIs in 69 balls, with five fours and a six, India did struggle as they lost Shreyas Iyer (15 in 17 balls, with two fours) and Axar Patel (eight runs in 12 balls) quickly, reducing India to 144/4 in 30.1 overs.

KL and Gill continued the run-chase, bringing India closer to the target.

India reached the 200-run mark in 42.3 overs.

Gill reached his eighth ODI ton in 125 balls, with nine fours and two sixes.

With ANI inputs

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Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Campaign Goes From Bad To Worse, Fined By ICC For…

admin — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 13:08:12 +0000

Pakistan have been fined five percent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate during their opening encounter against New Zealand in the tournament opener at the National Stadium in Karachi on Wednesday. The penalty was imposed after Mohammad Rizwan’s side was found to be one over short of the required rate despite time allowances being considered. “Pakistan have been fined 5 percent of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate against New Zealand in the opening match of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday,” ICC said in a statement.

Andy Pycroft, a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, handed down the sanction under Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel. As per ICC regulations, players are fined five percent of their match fee for each over their team fails to bowl within the allotted time.

Pakistan’s stand-in captain Mohammad Rizwan pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the penalty, eliminating the need for a formal hearing. The charge was levelled by on-field umpires Richard Kettleborough and Sharfuddoula, third umpire Joel Wilson, and fourth umpire Alex Wharf.

The fine comes as an additional blow to Pakistan, who had already suffered a disappointing 60-run defeat against New Zealand in the tournament opener. The hosts struggled in their chase of 281, failing to keep up with the required run rate after a sluggish start.

Earlier, Pakistan’s opener Fakhar Zaman was ruled out of the tournament due to an oblique injury. The left-hander sustained the injury while fielding early in the second over of the game. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved Imam-ul-Haq as a replacement for the injured Zaman.

Pakistan will now look to regroup and sharpen their game ahead of their crucial clash against arch-rivals India in Dubai on February 23.

Pakistan have to win the match to maintain their chances of qualifying from the four-team group as two teams per group will make it to the knock-out stage. Bangladesh are the fourth team in the group in which New Zealand have already won their match in Karachi.

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