A run-a-ball century from hard-hitting Colin Munro left Auckland well-positioned to push for victory on the final day of their Plunket Shield clash with Canterbury today.

The ICC, unwittingly, might have stumbled upon the magic algorithm that lifts a tournament from the mundane to the spectacular.

New Zealand's strong performances in the World Cup are reflected in the latest ODI rankings.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson faces a selection conundrum leading into what should be New Zealand's least challenging assignment of Cricket World Cup pool play - Afghanistan.

Brendon McCullum's late-career surge has been so extraordinary that he now stands alongside Sir Richard Hadlee for his impact on cricket in this country, writes Chris Rattue.

The quality of swing bowling has been the outstanding feature of this World Cup. And the best examples of that so far came at Eden Park on Saturday, writes Mark Greatbach.

The Black Caps' pulsating form in the Cricket World Cup is sparking a surge of ticket sales, and some seats are still available for New Zealand's next outing.

The Eden Park thriller on Saturday saw two world-class southpaw seamers producing high art with the ball.

A day or two to reflect on their part in one of the most stunning of all conclusions to a World Cup match, then back to business for New Zealand.

There's a storm cloud gathering over Eden Park, and we're not just talking about the horrible prospect of rain on Saturday.

It took six words for Black Caps coach Mike Hesson to yesterday disarm the argument about the threat of Australia's muscular fast bowling battery.

If it's not rugby and the All Blacks aren't winning by 17 points with 11 minutes to go, you'll be hard-pressed to hear a New Zealand crowd using their epithelium vocal folds to support their team.

The game’s most violent batsman is feeling his age but he has defied the odds - and critics - again.

Eden Park's crowd has received an open invitation to get rough with the verbals at Australia's players in Saturday's World Cup showdown.

Whichever pairing comes out on top on Saturday at Eden Park will have gone a long way towards setting their side up for victory.

Look for the World Cup to hit top gear at Eden Park this weekend; one co-host is playing superbly well, and the other is a formidable outfit, writes

Having started the tournament as one of three favourites to lift the title, alongside Australia and South Africa, New Zealand are tracking well.

England captain Eoin Morgan is struggling for batting form but has received an endorsement from his New Zealand counterpart Brendon McCullum ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup fixture in Wellington.

New Zealand are rolling along nicely; England are all over the shop right now, writes David Leggat.

I hate golf, but I liked what Jack Nicklaus said about its exponents: "Golfers have a tendency to be very masochistic. They like to punish themselves for some reason."

A diesel-fired portable generator sits in pride of place on a wooden table in the compound of Haji Abdul Tanai's mud house.

On an employment scrutiny scale from the Invisible Man to President of the United States, the job of England cricket captain aligns more closely with the latter.

New Zealand's pursuit of the run rate in their three-wicket win over Scotland delivered an unconvincing scorecard but represented a logical strategic gambit in the bigger scheme of the tournament.

New Zealand were coy about revealing their favoured first XI in the leadup to the World Cup.

The Black Caps turned heads when they arrived at Wellington yesterday for their World Cup match against England tomorrow.

NZ are rolling along nicely and England are all over the shop, but the Black Caps are sure to have their guard up when the teams meet on Friday, writes David Leggatt.