Andrew Alderson identifies four pillars that sustained the New Zealand cricketers through the summer of content and four areas that will require improvement.

Mix of factors explains Black Caps' chalk and cheese change from habitual losers to winners

New Zealand was the only non-member of this test-playing elite club.

Ireland added to their list of giant-killing victories with a six-wicket win over World Twenty20 champions West Indies in the first T20 international.

One of the spinoffs of strong collective test performance is improved global standings for individual performers.

He might have been going for NZ's highest ever test score, but the nerves didn't hit Brendon McCullum until the crowd started to swell at the Basin Reserve this morning.

Brendon McCullum made history in the second test by becoming the first New Zealand player to score a triple ton.

Cricketing great Martin Crowe believes Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum can surpass his 299-run record today - and that India will want him to get there too.

Long-time New Zealand cricket watchers should be immune to batting tumbles. They've had a lot to endure down the decades.

New Zealand will start today confident of avoiding defeat and perhaps even contemplating a win in the second cricket test against India which seemed unthinkable 24 hours earlier.

A career-best performance from Mitchell Johnson fired Australia to a 281-run victory over South Africa in the opening clash of the three-test series at Centurion.

The fact Kane Williamson's captaincy prospects are talked about openly in New Zealand cricket circles as a "when" not an "if" probably sums up how his talents are respected.

New Zealand will name the T20 squad for next month's World Cup tomorrow and in large part it should be a straightforward exercise.

The question was put to the wise Indian scribe: "When did you last see Ishant Sharma bowl better than at the Basin Reserve yesterday?".

Each year at test time, Wellington hosts a New Zealand team of yesteryear.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum is nearing a record with his eighth consecutive coin toss loss at the start of the first test against India yesterday.

India are in complete control of the second cricket test against New Zealand after day one at the Basin Reserve.

MS Dhoni - currently touring NZ - is one of six Indian cricketers linked to a report into a match-fixing ring in the Indian Premier League.

New Zealand's cricketers were ''astonished" at the pre-first test late night behaviour of teammates Jesse Ryder and Doug Bracewell.