Cricket News sort by Timothy Grant Southee

New Zealand’s Northern Knights are almost into the tournament main draw after collecting their second win.

The two-Test match between India and New Zealand saw a number of good performances from either side in a closely contested battle.

India went down fighting in the rain-affected Second ODI at the Seddon Park to lose their No.1 ODI ranking to the Aussies. The tourists asked to chase down 297 from just 42 overs went onto the lose the match by a narrow margin of 15 runs.

Martin Guptill scored his 3rd ODI century to guide New Zealand to an easy 5-wicket win against England at Lord’s. New Zealand after a disciplined bowling show strangled England to a below par total of 227 for 9 on a good batting strip.

Even the Englishmen shocked India with their spinners at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, in a neighbouring country a spirited New Zealand got the better of an underperforming Sri Lankans at the P Sara Oval in Colombo.

New Zealand finally achieved a rare Test win on Sri Lankan soil, something that has eluded them since 1998. The Kiwis had to work hard for more than two sessions to take the remaining six wickets of the Lankans for a 167-run victory which forced the 2-match Test Series end in a 1-1 draw.

New Zealand are six wickets away from defeating Sri Lanka in the Second and Final Test at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. Needing 363 to win, Sri Lanka slipped to a disastrous 47 for 4 inside 16 overs before stumps on Day 4.

The opening Test at Galle between Sri Lanka and New Zealand is tantalizingly poised for an early finish possibly inside four days.