New Zealand Cricket have been given a $2.14 million handout by the ICC in a bid to help the Black Caps become more competitive over the next three years.

As they assessed the wreckage of New Zealand's two tests against South Africa last month both captain and coach made a similar observation.

Sri Lanka's tour of Australia finished in ugly scenes as players clashed on field and had to be physically separated following Sri Lanka's two-run Twenty20 win.

Two or three salty little droplets squeezed from my 36-year-old tear ducts as the New Zealand cricket team embraced like first-time ecstasy users after their first series win in South Africa.

Any advantage gained by the Black Caps following AB de Villiers' two-game suspension could be offset by the absence of in-from batsman BJ Watling.

A piece of advice from his father has paid an impressive dividend for fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan.

Jesse Ryder says he will meet with Black Caps coach Mike Hesson at the end of the month to discuss a return to the side for the England tour of New Zealand.

Captain of the world's best team, heading for his 100th test in charge when Pakistan arrive in Johannesburg for the February 1 start of the first of their three tests, and he's got a peach of a fast bowling operation to oversee.

With the test series against South Africa coming to a predictable end, Kris Shannon of APNZ speculates on how the Black Caps' batting order can be improved.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum insists the end of the second test against South Africa was not the darkest day of his international career.

Sri Lanka aren't insulted by the picking of so-called second stringers by Australia for the initial games in the one-day series, evergreen batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan says.

Australia's selectors have recalled four players including NSW allrounder Moises Henriques to their squad for the third and fourth one-day internationals against Sri Lanka.

BJ Watling had a day to savour at St George's Park today - and earned high praise from the world's best bowler.

Much as they would prefer it to go away, the RT question keeps dogging the New Zealand camp.

As New Zealand plunged towards another batting embarrassment, the St George's Park band launched into the South African national anthem Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika.