South Africa have moved above England in the Test championship standings on the eve of their four-match series.
SA’s cricket team arrive in England later this week, but New Zealand’s Grant Elliott is adamant he is not in the wrong tour party.
Teenage quick Tim Southee’s career-best haul paved the way for up an unlikely 22-run win for New Zealand in in Bristol on Saturday.
Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori turned his fire on the umpires after a farcical finish to the second one-day international against England.
England captain Michael Vaughan admitted there was room for improvement from his side ahead of the ”ultimate test” against South Africa despite a decisive win over New Zealand on Sunday.
New Zealand face some awkward choices even before the third and final Test starts at Nottingham on Thursday as they look to square the series against England at 1-1.
Ryan Sidebottom turned in a miserly spell of four wickets for five runs in 10.1 overs on Friday as New Zealand were bowled out for 277 on the second day of the first Test at Lord’s in London. Openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook then built on Sidebottom’s good work and England, at stumps, were 68 without loss.
Brendon McCullum led a New Zealand fightback against England with a run-a-ball 97 to help his side to 208-6 when bad light ended the first day’s play of the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday. But three runs short of what would have been the wicket-keeper’s third Test hundred, McCullum was bowled by a quicker delivery from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.
Coaching guru Ian McGeechan has promised to restore the traditional spirit of the British and Irish Lions when he takes them on tour to South Africa next year. The 61-year-old, appointed on Wednesday as Lions coach for the fourth time, promised lessons would be learned from the ill-fated 2005 tour, when the Lions were thrashed 3-0 in a Test series by New Zealand.
Manchester United will take a giant stride towards retaining their Premier League title if they beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday. United’s lead at the top was cut to two points by Chelsea after the Blues won 1-0 away to Everton on Thursday.