Cricketing great diagnosed with an aggressive strain of lymphoma says biggest challenge has been "getting the prognosis out of my head".

New Zealand is enjoying its best summer for overseas tourist arrivals but operators are worried that demand from our most important market, Australia, could be dented by the fall in the value of the Aussie dollar.

Australia reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar trophy, as a hostile Boxing Day Test with India ended in a draw yesterday.

Auckland are two from two and rolling along nicely in the domestic 50-over competition after cleaning up Canterbury at Eden Park yesterday.

The Black Caps' road to redemption started after humiliating defeat of January 2013, with players realising that winning was the only way to earn public support.

Hamish Rutherford, battling for confidence-boosting test runs, has received an endorsement from his captain ahead of the second test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

A fighting half-century from Shaun Marsh has virtually ensured that Australia will do no worse than draw the third test against India at the MCG, and with it win the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

The hits keep coming for this New Zealand team as it pushes through previous performance barriers in fine style.

What might have been. That phrase kept popping into the head as Brendon McCullum crashed the ball around - and out of - the Hagley Oval arena.

Forty minutes before stumps, Sri Lanka were entitled to feel immense satisfaction at their day's work at Hagley Oval in Christchurch yesterday.

Mitchell Johnson took on supernatural-like powers of intimidation in Australia's routing of England last summer.

Milestone achieved, now moving on. Trent Boult admitted he was chuffed to complete his 100 test wickets at Hagley Oval yesterday but there's a test to be won.

As I stood in the middle of Hagley Oval 30 minutes before the start of play on Boxing Day, I thought, 'this is great'.

New Zealand’s cricketers have experienced a year of success with test series victories over India and the West Indies, a drawn series with Pakistan and a 4-0 ODI defeat of then-world No 1 India.

Perseverance might be the order of business for New Zealand's bowlers at Hagley Oval today.

NZ batting coach Craig McMillan last night lavished praise on captain Brendon McCullum after yet another great performance set his side up for a crack at winning the first test against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand will wait until the morning of the Boxing Day cricket Test against Sri Lanka to finalise their playing XI as they mull over the make-up of their pace attack.

Wicketkeeper BJ Watling can remember when the New Zealand team was very different to the confident, winning group who assembled in Christchurch yesterday for a bumper home international summer.

Hamish Rutherford should consider buying Brendon McCullum a thank-you gift ahead of the first test against Sri Lanka starting in Christchurch on Boxing Day.

Northern Districts' international attack proved far too formidable as an overmatched Wellington were humbled in the Plunket Shield yesterday.

wicket for Trent Boult in Christchurch would make him the 13th New Zealander to take 100 test wickets. If successful, he will have done it in the third-equal fastest time...

As many New Zealanders turn their attention to barbecues, beverages and beaches, the national cricket selectors face the unenviable task of preparing Dear John letters for World Cup hopefuls.

Stage one of World Cup preparations is over and a series win in Pakistan-friendly conditions was a good result.

Auckland City's public spaces will be transformed into 'fanzones' to allow the public to fully engage with a bumper summer of international events.

Sports law specialist Aaron Lloyd has welcomed the criminalisation of match-fixing that has passed into law this week, but says the legislation should go even further.

Hosting the opening ceremony and the first match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 early next year will cement Christchurch's position as the sporting capital of New Zealand, Mayor Lianne Dalziel said today.