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 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.

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.

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.

Just a day after Ireland's intoxicating win over West Indies, Scotland endured a more sobering experience in Dunedin, a city whose students are not renowned for their temperance.

Tougher challenges lie ahead for NZ, but they almost gave themselves a bloody nose when least expected en route to a three-wicket World Cup win over Scotland.

A law expert says police should not be leading the removal of "court-siders" at the Cricket World Cup, as the practice is a contractual breach, but not illegal.

Irish cricket fans were celebrating last night as their unfancied side claimed the World Cup's first big upset.

"If there is anything bigger in cricket than a World Cup match between India and Pakistan, please let me know," said one fan.

The Herald's Dylan Cleaver drew five big conclusions from Australia's win over England yesterday.

Davey Warner, Brendon McCullum, AB de Villiers and company get the credit, and their ability with the blade is stunning.

Sport's most overrated World Cup is nearly upon us. Can't wait for the good bits though.

Gargantuan, gigantic, giant, Goliath, Gulliver. Mohammad Irfan must tire of the "G" words; not that they translate that way into his native Urdu, writes Andrew Alderson.

With the soreness gone, a refreshed Mitchell Johnson says he's ready to spearhead Australia's pace attack in today's tri-series final and the World Cup.

Pakistan were dismissed for 210 in their opening one-day international against New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in Wellington this afternoon.

In 12 one-day internationals since the start of the season, New Zealand are in credit during overs 41-50 - the "death" overs.

The New Zealand cricket team have seldom had stronger form heading into a World Cup, but veteran Daniel Vettori has highlighted run outs as an area where they must exercise better judgment.

Confusion over the use of cricket's Decision Review System means Martin Guptill has 22 bonus runs in his one-day international career.