Veteran Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq's knowledge of the Asian conditions will help New Zealand spinners prepare better for the away two-Test match series against Bangladesh, starting Tuesday (Nov 28) in Sylhet, head coach Luke Ronchi said. Considering conditions will offer more assistance to spinners, New Zealand picked five spinners in their squad, including part-timer Glenn Philips.

Ronchi said the spin-bowling coach has had personal sessions with each of the potential starters, including Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, injecting the belief of topping crowd-favourite Bangladesh in their backyard.&nbsp;

"I mean his (Saqlain's) knowledge of these parts of the world is fantastic, and the way he can talk with our spinners and sort of coach them in different areas with, I guess, the trajectory, lines, lengths, and different things like reading a wicket as well, sort of how it might play. It's fantastic," Ronchi said.

"And I guess he played a lot of international cricket. He's been around for a long, long time. To use his knowledge is a very big thing for us," he concluded.&nbsp;

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Aware of how conditions pan out in this part of the world, Ronchi said they have come prepared.&nbsp;

"I think that's the nature of cricket in Bangladesh, isn't it? There's a lot more spinners involved," Rochi opined.&nbsp;

"I think, with the training we've had and sort of the way the surfaces have played there, we're expecting a bit more up and down, a bit more turn. So, we'll see how it goes, see how it plays out," the former keeper-batter added.

<h2>How to tackle spin? Ronchi answers</h2>

Given the quality in the spin section, Ronchi believes bowlers will come off well in the two Tests while remaining aware of the threat the batters could face on the rank-turners. Explaining how the batters could potentially sideline the spin threat from Bangladesh, Ronchi said,

"I think, around the world now, you see reverse sweeping coming into it a heck load more now, which does make it more challenging for bowlers. But again, that's how guys are going to play it. They need to work out the surface and adapt to that surface in whichever way they think is going to help them the best to score the runs they can score," Ronchi said.&nbsp;

He added since most players have already played plenty of matches in the sub-continent across formats, they have their plans placed for tackling the home team.

"But again, we play a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, we've played everywhere now that we've toured in Pakistan as well, so, the guys have their own tactics and how they play," Ronchi concluded.

After the first Test in Sylhet, Dhaka will host the second match scheduled for December 6 start.&nbsp;

Veteran Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq's knowledge of the Asian conditions will help New Zealand spinners prepare better for the away two-Test match series against Bangladesh, starting Tuesday (Nov 28) in Sylhet, head coach Luke Ronchi said.

Veteran Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq's knowledge of the Asian conditions will help New Zealand spinners prepare better for the away two-Test match series against Bangladesh, starting Tuesday (Nov 28) in Sylhet, head coach Luke Ronchi said. Considering conditions will offer more assistance to spinners, New Zealand picked five spinners in their squad, including part-timer Glenn Philips. Ronchi said the spin-bowling coach has had personal sessions with each of the potential starters, including Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra, injecting the belief of topping crowd-favourite Bangladesh in their backyard. "I mean his (Saqlain's) knowledge of these parts of the world is fantastic, and the way he can talk with our spinners and sort of coach them in different areas with, I guess, the trajectory, lines, lengths, and different things like reading a wicket as well, sort of how it might play. It's fantastic," Ronchi said. "And I guess he played a lot of international cricket. He's been around for a long, long time. To use his knowledge is a very big thing for us," he concluded. ALSO READ: IPL 2024: Gujarat Titans appoint Shubman Gill new captain after Hardik Pandya trade Aware of how conditions pan out in this part of the world, Ronchi said they have come prepared. "I think that's the nature of cricket in Bangladesh, isn't it? There's a lot more spinners involved," Rochi opined. "I think, with the training we've had and sort of the way the surfaces have played there, we're expecting a bit more up and down, a bit more turn. So, we'll see how it goes, see how it plays out," the former keeper-batter added. How to tackle spin? Ronchi answers Given the quality in the spin section, Ronchi believes bowlers will come off well in the two Tests while remaining aware of the threat the batters could face on the rank-turners. Explaining how the batters could potentially sideline the spin threat from Bangladesh, Ronchi said, "I think, around the world now, you see reverse sweeping coming into it a heck load more now, which does make it more challenging for bowlers. But again, that's how guys are going to play it. They need to work out the surface and adapt to that surface in whichever way they think is going to help them the best to score the runs they can score," Ronchi said. He added since most players have already played plenty of matches in the sub-continent across formats, they have their plans placed for tackling the home team. "But again, we play a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, we've played everywhere now that we've toured in Pakistan as well, so, the guys have their own tactics and how they play," Ronchi concluded. After the first Test in Sylhet, Dhaka will host the second match scheduled for December 6 start.

BAN vs NZ, 1st Test - Saqlain's knowledge of Asian conditions will come in handy for us: Luke Ronchi

New Zealand continued their winning run in the ODI World Cup 2023 with a thumping 149-run win over Afghanistan in Chennai on October 18. While the Kiwi bowlers were very effective, their fielding was top-notch too as shown by Mitchell Santner who took a Superman catch during the match.

The spinner took a one-handed stunner off Lockie Ferguson to dismiss Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi to further derail the Afghan chase. Ferguson bowled a short delivery directed at Hashmat's head which the batter pulled awkwardly only for Santner to pick a blinder at the 30-yard circle. Have a look at the video below:

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Hashmat's wicket was Afghanistan's third and after that, they never looked comfortable while chasing 289. A lot was expected of&nbsp;the Afghanistan team after they beat defending champions England in their last match to cause an upset but New Zealand shut them down emphatically.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/odi-world-cup-2023-india-vs-bangladesh-match-preview-and-result-prediction-648620">India juggernaut reaches Pune to face Bangladesh | Match preview and result prediction</a>

Batting first after losing the toss, New Zealand started well despite losing the first wicket early. Azmatullah Omarzai then struck twice in the 21st over before Rashid Khan took a wicket in the next one. With Kiwis looking in the hole at 110/4, skipper Tom Latham (68) and Player of the Match Glenn Phillips (70) added 144 runs for the fifth wicket to bring the Blackcaps back in the game.

Mark Chapman then scored a quickfire 25 off 12 as New Zealand finished on 288/6 in their 50 overs. Afghanistan, while chasing, kept losing wickets more often than they would have liked and eventually got all out for 139 runs in just 34.4 overs.

They next take on India in a high-octane clash on Sunday in Dharmsala with the hosts also enjoying a hundred per cent record. India will take on Bangladesh on Thursday before they shake hands with the team that eliminated them from the 2019 edition. Afghanistan will take on Pakistan in Chennai on Monday (Oct 23).

New Zealand continued their winning run in the ODI World Cup 2023 with a thumping 149-run win over Afghanistan in Chennai on October 18. While the Kiwi bowlers were very effective, their fielding was top-notch too as shown by Mitchell Santner who took a Superman catch during the match.

New Zealand continued their winning run in the ODI World Cup 2023 with a thumping 149-run win over Afghanistan in Chennai on October 18. While the Kiwi bowlers were very effective, their fielding was top-notch too as shown by Mitchell Santner who took a Superman catch during the match. The spinner took a one-handed stunner off Lockie Ferguson to dismiss Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi to further derail the Afghan chase. Ferguson bowled a short delivery directed at Hashmat's head which the batter pulled awkwardly only for Santner to pick a blinder at the 30-yard circle. Have a look at the video below: View this post on Instagram A post shared by ICC (@icc) × Hashmat's wicket was Afghanistan's third and after that, they never looked comfortable while chasing 289. A lot was expected of the Afghanistan team after they beat defending champions England in their last match to cause an upset but New Zealand shut them down emphatically. Also Read: India juggernaut reaches Pune to face Bangladesh | Match preview and result prediction Batting first after losing the toss, New Zealand started well despite losing the first wicket early. Azmatullah Omarzai then struck twice in the 21st over before Rashid Khan took a wicket in the next one. With Kiwis looking in the hole at 110/4, skipper Tom Latham (68) and Player of the Match Glenn Phillips (70) added 144 runs for the fifth wicket to bring the Blackcaps back in the game. Mark Chapman then scored a quickfire 25 off 12 as New Zealand finished on 288/6 in their 50 overs. Afghanistan, while chasing, kept losing wickets more often than they would have liked and eventually got all out for 139 runs in just 34.4 overs. They next take on India in a high-octane clash on Sunday in Dharmsala with the hosts also enjoying a hundred per cent record. India will take on Bangladesh on Thursday before they shake hands with the team that eliminated them from the 2019 edition. Afghanistan will take on Pakistan in Chennai on Monday (Oct 23).

ODI World Cup 2023: WATCH | New Zealand's Mitchell Santner takes SUPERMAN catch vs Afghanistan

Indian T20I team captain Hardik Pandya was a surprised man after his team lost the first T20I match against New Zealand. Pandya said the amount of spin the NZ bowlers extracted in the second innings, made life tough for the Indian batters.

Indian T20I team captain Hardik Pandya was a surprised man after his team lost the first T20I match against New Zealand. Pandya said the amount of spin the NZ bowlers extracted in the second innings, made life tough for the Indian batters. "No one even thought the wicket would play like that, New Zealand clearly played better cricket and they are the deserved winners. The ball was turning more with the new ball than the old one, caught by surprise by the bounce and turn." Still in the nascent stages of his international captaincy career, Pandya, however, was blunt in his assessment of the bowling performance. He said the bowlers conceded a little too many at the fag end of the New Zealand innings. "On hindsight, I don't think this wicket was 177, we were poor with the ball and we ended up giving 25 runs more than the par," said Pandya at the post-match ceremony. "We're a young group, we make mistakes but we need to learn from it, that's how we're looking at it as well." Read more: Mitchell Santner stars with ball as New Zealand draws first blood in T20Is, wins Ranchi match by 21 runs India won the toss and decided to field first thinking the dew would come in the second half of the match and make the batting easier. However, the opposite transpired. The dew wasn't as heavy and New Zealand started with Micahel Bracewell. The off-spinner got the ball to turn and bounce as opener Ishan Kishan was outfoxed by a pearler that kissed the top of off. Bracewell seemed amazed like Pandya and said, "We were surprised with the turn, in the first innings too and we were fortunate to bowling second and the turn was still there." Such was the control of spinners that opposition captain Mitchell Santner managed to bowl a maiden over to Suryakumar Yadav, of all batters. "It was a bit of a shock for everyone involved as to how much it spun in the second innings. It was a great game, pretty tight in the end. And it was nice to see the ball spin a bit more," said Santner. Read more: 'He needs to go back...': Hardik Pandya has advice for this bowler after loss against Sri Lanka India and New Zealand will square off again in the second T20I on Saturday at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'No one thought...': Hardik Pandya surprised after defeat against New Zealand in first T20I

New Zealand drew first blood against India in the three-match T20I series with a 21-run win in Ranchi on Friday. A new-looking Kiwi team stunned the star-studded hosts ending their losing run on the India tour. In the game of Mitchells for New Zealand, they found their match winners in Daryl and Santner, who contributed with bat and ball, respectively. While it was Daryl Mitchell’s quickfire fifty in the end that laid a strong foundation, Santner completed the remainder of proceedings with his exceptional spell of two for 11 in four overs.

Electing to bowl first after winning the toss at the JSCA international stadium, India got off to a shaky start – leaking runs in the first couple of overs. Quick wickets to India’s lone performer for today, Washington Sundar pulled the game back for them, but not for long. Brimming with confidence following his last innings’ hundred in Indore, opener Devon Conway scored a fifty in Ranchi too.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/innovation-wise-skill-wise-i-dont-think-i-have-seen-a-better-player-ricky-ponting-on-suryakumar-yadav-556609">'Innovation-wise, skill-wise, I don't think I have seen a better player' - Ricky Ponting on Suryakumar Yadav</a>

However, it was late blitz from their middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell, whose 30-ball 59 helped the Kiwis put up a fighting total on the board.

For India, Sundar returned with figures of two for 22 in four overs, whereas, seamer Arshdeep Singh went expensive, going for 51 in four overs.

The chase, however, didn’t begin in the best of manners for India as they lost both openers inside first three overs. Rahul Tripathi followed them on zero too as Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya then set the base with odd&nbsp;boundaries. While Hardik was playing the cautious&nbsp;game, SKY didn’t hold himself and hammered bowlers to all parts, hitting 47 off 34.

Wickets to Michael Bracewell and Santner in the middle orders meant only Washington Sundar was left to bail India out of trouble. Already high on confidence, the left-handed Sundar did smok&nbsp;some beautiful shots at the fag end and kept India in the game. His heroic efforts couldn’t continue for long as he lost his wicket in the last over for&nbsp;a well-made 50 off 28 balls.

Courtesy an all-round performance from New Zealand, they won the first T20I by 21 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

New Zealand drew first blood against India in the three-match T20I series with a 21-run win in Ranchi on Friday. A new-looking Kiwi team stunned the star-studded hosts ending their losing run on the India tour.

New Zealand drew first blood against India in the three-match T20I series with a 21-run win in Ranchi on Friday. A new-looking Kiwi team stunned the star-studded hosts ending their losing run on the India tour. In the game of Mitchells for New Zealand, they found their match winners in Daryl and Santner, who contributed with bat and ball, respectively. While it was Daryl Mitchell’s quickfire fifty in the end that laid a strong foundation, Santner completed the remainder of proceedings with his exceptional spell of two for 11 in four overs. Electing to bowl first after winning the toss at the JSCA international stadium, India got off to a shaky start – leaking runs in the first couple of overs. Quick wickets to India’s lone performer for today, Washington Sundar pulled the game back for them, but not for long. Brimming with confidence following his last innings’ hundred in Indore, opener Devon Conway scored a fifty in Ranchi too. ALSO READ: 'Innovation-wise, skill-wise, I don't think I have seen a better player' - Ricky Ponting on Suryakumar Yadav However, it was late blitz from their middle-order batter Daryl Mitchell, whose 30-ball 59 helped the Kiwis put up a fighting total on the board. For India, Sundar returned with figures of two for 22 in four overs, whereas, seamer Arshdeep Singh went expensive, going for 51 in four overs. The chase, however, didn’t begin in the best of manners for India as they lost both openers inside first three overs. Rahul Tripathi followed them on zero too as Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya then set the base with odd boundaries. While Hardik was playing the cautious game, SKY didn’t hold himself and hammered bowlers to all parts, hitting 47 off 34. Wickets to Michael Bracewell and Santner in the middle orders meant only Washington Sundar was left to bail India out of trouble. Already high on confidence, the left-handed Sundar did smok some beautiful shots at the fag end and kept India in the game. His heroic efforts couldn’t continue for long as he lost his wicket in the last over for a well-made 50 off 28 balls. Courtesy an all-round performance from New Zealand, they won the first T20I by 21 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Mitchell Santner stars with ball as New Zealand draws first blood in T20Is, wins Ranchi match by 21runs

Rohit Sharma scored his first ODI hundred in three years while Shubman Gill continued his domination with another sublime ton as India completed a clean sweep with a 90-run win over New Zealand in the third match here on Tuesday.

Batters from both sides lit up the dead rubber as 680 runs were scored at the Holkar Stadium.

Rohit (101 off 85 balls) got to the three-figure mark for the first time since January 2020 while Gill (112 off 78) scored his fourth ODI hundred to take India to 385 for nine.

Following twin failures, the New Zealand top-order put up a much better show. Devon Conway (138) stitched crucial partnerships but Shardul Thakur (3/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/62) regularly struck to bowl out the Balck Caps for 295 in 41.2 overs.

It was India's second consecutive clean sweep, having beaten Sri Lanka last week. After Hardik Pandya (1/37) got rid of Finn Allen (0), Conway shared 106 runs with Henry Nicholls and 78 runs with Daryl Mitchell (24).

In the absence of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, the Indian bowlers struggled initially, leaking runs as Conway tonked the ball all around the park. 
Shardul, however, managed to turn the game, as he took back-to-back wickets of Mitchell and Tom Latham (0) in the 26th over.

In his next over, Thakur sent Glenn Phillips (5) packing with a cross-seamed delivery. 
Umran Malik (1/52) then got Conway as the centurion pulled awkwardly with Rohit doing the rest at midwicket as the match seemed to slip out of New Zealand's grasp.

The spin duo of Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/43) then cleaned up the tail.

Earlier, Rohit and Gill put up a belligerent 212-run opening stand, sharing 22 fours and 11 sixes between them.

Rahul Dravid joked on the eve of the match that bowlers don't want to bowl as soon as they land in Indore because of the batter-friendly conditions. The batting great had a point, and the New Zealanders rolling over their arms during the first 25 overs would have shared Dravid's sentiment.

At one point every ball that Rohit and Gill's bat touched was either flying to the boundary or over it.

Gill hit four fours and a six to plunder 22 runs off Lockie Ferguson in the eighth over, symbolising the kind of form the 23-year-old has been in lately.

The youngster didn't have to even time the ball for it to run to the boundary. After three fours, he launched the short ball for an upper-cut six.

With the outfield quick and the wicket flat, the rather inexperienced New Zealand bowling unit had no answers to the Indian openers' carnage.

The 26th over saw both Rohit and Gill getting their centuries. Rohit pulled away to deep square to get to his mark and, three balls later, Gill got to the triple-figure mark, his third in four innings.

New Zealand skipper Tom Latham used as many as six bowlers and it was his sixth option -- spinner Michael Bracewell -- who provided the tourists their first breakthrough.

Trying to slog one out of the park, Rohit missed the ball as it kept low and turned to eventually hit the stumps. His wicket was met with a roar by the partisan crowd, welcoming Virat Kohli (36).

A miscued shot in the next over spelt the end of Gill's innings as New Zealand struck twice in quick succession.

Ishan Kishan (17) didn't look too comfortable and took nine balls to open his account. A yes-no with Kohli, who had sprinted halfway, marked the end of the wicketkeeper batter's stay in the middle.

New Zealand were able to bring down the boundaries and sixes and, looking to play a big shot, Kohli couldn't beat Finn Allen at mid-off.

Firmly on course for a 400-plus score, India endured a familiar middle-order batting collapse, before Hardik Pandya (54 off 38 balls) provided the final flourish.

Rohit Sharma scored his first ODI hundred in three years while Shubman Gill continued his domination with another sublime ton as India completed a clean sweep with a 90-run win over New Zealand in the third match here on Tuesday.

Rohit Sharma scored his first ODI hundred in three years while Shubman Gill continued his domination with another sublime ton as India completed a clean sweep with a 90-run win over New Zealand in the third match here on Tuesday. Batters from both sides lit up the dead rubber as 680 runs were scored at the Holkar Stadium. Rohit (101 off 85 balls) got to the three-figure mark for the first time since January 2020 while Gill (112 off 78) scored his fourth ODI hundred to take India to 385 for nine. Following twin failures, the New Zealand top-order put up a much better show. Devon Conway (138) stitched crucial partnerships but Shardul Thakur (3/45) and Kuldeep Yadav (3/62) regularly struck to bowl out the Balck Caps for 295 in 41.2 overs. It was India's second consecutive clean sweep, having beaten Sri Lanka last week. After Hardik Pandya (1/37) got rid of Finn Allen (0), Conway shared 106 runs with Henry Nicholls and 78 runs with Daryl Mitchell (24). In the absence of Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, the Indian bowlers struggled initially, leaking runs as Conway tonked the ball all around the park. Shardul, however, managed to turn the game, as he took back-to-back wickets of Mitchell and Tom Latham (0) in the 26th over. In his next over, Thakur sent Glenn Phillips (5) packing with a cross-seamed delivery. Umran Malik (1/52) then got Conway as the centurion pulled awkwardly with Rohit doing the rest at midwicket as the match seemed to slip out of New Zealand's grasp. The spin duo of Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/43) then cleaned up the tail. Earlier, Rohit and Gill put up a belligerent 212-run opening stand, sharing 22 fours and 11 sixes between them. Rahul Dravid joked on the eve of the match that bowlers don't want to bowl as soon as they land in Indore because of the batter-friendly conditions. The batting great had a point, and the New Zealanders rolling over their arms during the first 25 overs would have shared Dravid's sentiment. At one point every ball that Rohit and Gill's bat touched was either flying to the boundary or over it. Gill hit four fours and a six to plunder 22 runs off Lockie Ferguson in the eighth over, symbolising the kind of form the 23-year-old has been in lately. The youngster didn't have to even time the ball for it to run to the boundary. After three fours, he launched the short ball for an upper-cut six. With the outfield quick and the wicket flat, the rather inexperienced New Zealand bowling unit had no answers to the Indian openers' carnage. The 26th over saw both Rohit and Gill getting their centuries. Rohit pulled away to deep square to get to his mark and, three balls later, Gill got to the triple-figure mark, his third in four innings. New Zealand skipper Tom Latham used as many as six bowlers and it was his sixth option -- spinner Michael Bracewell -- who provided the tourists their first breakthrough. Trying to slog one out of the park, Rohit missed the ball as it kept low and turned to eventually hit the stumps. His wicket was met with a roar by the partisan crowd, welcoming Virat Kohli (36). A miscued shot in the next over spelt the end of Gill's innings as New Zealand struck twice in quick succession. Ishan Kishan (17) didn't look too comfortable and took nine balls to open his account. A yes-no with Kohli, who had sprinted halfway, marked the end of the wicketkeeper batter's stay in the middle. New Zealand were able to bring down the boundaries and sixes and, looking to play a big shot, Kohli couldn't beat Finn Allen at mid-off. Firmly on course for a 400-plus score, India endured a familiar middle-order batting collapse, before Hardik Pandya (54 off 38 balls) provided the final flourish.

IND vs NZ 3rd ODI: Rohit's ton helps India win by 90 runs to complete a series whitewash

New Zealand demolished hosts and defending champions Australia by 89 runs in their opening game of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 to get off to a flying start in the tournament. The Kiwis produced an excellent all-round performance to outclass Australia in all three departments at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney to bring an end to their 11-year-long wait for a win in a white-ball game in Australia.

New Zealand rode on a stunning knock of an unbeaten 92 from opener Devon Conway and a bowling masterclass from Tim Southee to register a comprehensive win in their opening game of the showpiece event. Asked to bat first in the game, the Kiwis got off to a solid start as openers Fin Allen and Conway took the Aussie bowlers to the cleaners.

Allen went after the hosts from the word go as he scored a quickfire 42 off just 16 balls to add 56 runs for the first wicket with Conway before being cleaned up by Josh Hazlewood.&nbsp;

Conway took charge after Allen's departure and slammed seven fours and two sixes en route to his 58-ball 92. While he missed out on a well-deserved century, the left-hander's terrific knock helped New Zealand post a strong total of 200 runs on the board as the Aussie bowlers struggled for wickets.

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Josh Hazlewood was the top wicket-taker for Australia with two wickets to his name but ended up conceding 41 runs off his quota of four overs in what was a disappointing outing for the fast bowler. The likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins were also taken to the cleaners by Conway and Allen among others.

In reply, Australia's batting line-up fell like a pack of cards as the defending champions kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Glenn Maxwell top-scored with 28 off 20 balls as the hosts were skittled out for a paltry 111 runs to suffer a comprehensive defeat in their first game in the tournament.

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New Zealand registered their first win against Australia in a white-ball game in Australia since February 2009 while the Aussies recorded their lowest total in a T20I match at home and suffered their biggest defeat in T20Is. It was also New Zealand's biggest win by the margins of runs in a T20 World Cup game.

The huge defeat has left Australia wounded and the defending champions will be eager to bounce back when they ock horns with Sri Lanka in their next game in Perth on Tuesday while New Zealand will be hoping to continue their winning run against Afghanistan in their next game on Wednesday.

New Zealand demolished hosts and defending champions Australia by 89 runs in their opening game of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 to get off to a flying start in the tournament.

New Zealand demolished hosts and defending champions Australia by 89 runs in their opening game of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 to get off to a flying start in the tournament. The Kiwis produced an excellent all-round performance to outclass Australia in all three departments at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney to bring an end to their 11-year-long wait for a win in a white-ball game in Australia. New Zealand rode on a stunning knock of an unbeaten 92 from opener Devon Conway and a bowling masterclass from Tim Southee to register a comprehensive win in their opening game of the showpiece event. Asked to bat first in the game, the Kiwis got off to a solid start as openers Fin Allen and Conway took the Aussie bowlers to the cleaners. Allen went after the hosts from the word go as he scored a quickfire 42 off just 16 balls to add 56 runs for the first wicket with Conway before being cleaned up by Josh Hazlewood. Conway took charge after Allen's departure and slammed seven fours and two sixes en route to his 58-ball 92. While he missed out on a well-deserved century, the left-hander's terrific knock helped New Zealand post a strong total of 200 runs on the board as the Aussie bowlers struggled for wickets. Also Read: Kevin Pietersen calls Man Utd manager Erik Ten Hag a 'clown' for 'disrespecting' Cristiano Ronaldo Josh Hazlewood was the top wicket-taker for Australia with two wickets to his name but ended up conceding 41 runs off his quota of four overs in what was a disappointing outing for the fast bowler. The likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins were also taken to the cleaners by Conway and Allen among others. In reply, Australia's batting line-up fell like a pack of cards as the defending champions kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Glenn Maxwell top-scored with 28 off 20 balls as the hosts were skittled out for a paltry 111 runs to suffer a comprehensive defeat in their first game in the tournament. Also Read: Scrap Asia Cup, don't bring politics into cricket: Javed Miandad slams BCCI after Jay Shah's comments New Zealand registered their first win against Australia in a white-ball game in Australia since February 2009 while the Aussies recorded their lowest total in a T20I match at home and suffered their biggest defeat in T20Is. It was also New Zealand's biggest win by the margins of runs in a T20 World Cup game. The huge defeat has left Australia wounded and the defending champions will be eager to bounce back when they ock horns with Sri Lanka in their next game in Perth on Tuesday while New Zealand will be hoping to continue their winning run against Afghanistan in their next game on Wednesday.

Devon Conway, Tim Southee help New Zealand thrash Australia by 89 runs in T20 World Cup 2022

Match 7 of the ongoing IPL 2022 edition will see the defending champions and four-time winners Ravindra Jadeja-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lock horns with one of the new entrants, i.e. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday evening (March 31).

Both sides are coming into this match after failing to get off the mark in their respective season-openers. Talking about the Chennai camp, the Yellow Army never came to their very best in the opening game of the season, where they went down to the two-time winners and last year's runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on March 26.

Being asked to bat first, CSK were rusty from the word go. The likes of Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad fell flat whereas Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu departed after settling in. MS Dhoni's 38-ball 50* and Jadeja's 28-ball 26 propelled CSK to 131-5. In reply, their bowlers did a decent job of stretching the game till the penultimate over, however, they lost by six wickets.&nbsp;

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Predicting CSK's XI for LSG face-off

By know, everyone knows that Chennai isn't a team that presses the panic button after one bad game. They are expected to follow the same template of backing their players by giving them a long rope before making wholesome changes. They will be desperate to get their first win of the season, however, they are likely to go ahead with only one change.

Moeen Ali, last year's star for CSK, is expected to walk into the playing XI&nbsp;at the expense of Kiwi spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner. It will further bolster their batting line-up and might tempt their big guns to play more freely than they did versus KKR. While Shivam Dube also has strong competition from U-19 star&nbsp;Rajvardhan Hangargekar, however, the former is likely to be persisted for now.

Predicted CSK XI for Lucknow tie: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Dube, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande

Match 7 of the ongoing IPL 2022 edition will see the defending champions and four-time winners Ravindra Jadeja-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lock horns with one of the new entrants, i.

Match 7 of the ongoing IPL 2022 edition will see the defending champions and four-time winners Ravindra Jadeja-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lock horns with one of the new entrants, i.e. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Thursday evening (March 31). Both sides are coming into this match after failing to get off the mark in their respective season-openers. Talking about the Chennai camp, the Yellow Army never came to their very best in the opening game of the season, where they went down to the two-time winners and last year's runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on March 26. Being asked to bat first, CSK were rusty from the word go. The likes of Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad fell flat whereas Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu departed after settling in. MS Dhoni's 38-ball 50* and Jadeja's 28-ball 26 propelled CSK to 131-5. In reply, their bowlers did a decent job of stretching the game till the penultimate over, however, they lost by six wickets. ALSO READ | CSK vs LSG, IPL 2022 prediction today: Who will win Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants match? Predicting CSK's XI for LSG face-off By know, everyone knows that Chennai isn't a team that presses the panic button after one bad game. They are expected to follow the same template of backing their players by giving them a long rope before making wholesome changes. They will be desperate to get their first win of the season, however, they are likely to go ahead with only one change. Moeen Ali, last year's star for CSK, is expected to walk into the playing XI at the expense of Kiwi spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner. It will further bolster their batting line-up and might tempt their big guns to play more freely than they did versus KKR. While Shivam Dube also has strong competition from U-19 star Rajvardhan Hangargekar, however, the former is likely to be persisted for now. Predicted CSK XI for Lucknow tie: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Dube, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande

IPL 2022: Moeen to replace Santner? Predicting Ravindra Jadeja-led CSK's playing XI for Lucknow tie

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be without the services of two of their key players when they take the field against Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday (March 26). CSK will be missing Indian pacer Deepak Chahar and England all-rounder Moeen Ali for the game.

While Chahar is still recovering from his injury and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks of action for CSK, Ali is yet to receive his visa for India and is currently stuck in London. Despite having applied for the visa a long time back, Ali is yet to receive approval and leave for India to join the rest of the CSK squad ahead of the new season.

If Ali manages to land in India today (March 23) only then will he be able to feature in the playing XI for CSK in their opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 26 (Saturday).&nbsp;All players are required to serve at least 3 days of isolation upon landing in their team hotel. Ali is thus likely to miss CSK's opener against Shreyas Iyer's men.

In the absence of Ali, CSK have a number of players on their roster who can take the England all-rounder's spot in the playing XI against KKR. Here is a look at three players who can take his spot in the side:

1) Mitchell Santner

New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner can be a like-to-like replacement for Moeen&nbsp;Ali in the CSK line-up. While Robin Uthappa can take Ali's no.3 spot in the top-order, Santner can be slotted in the middle-order. He has been with CSK for quite some time now and is a great utility player who can contribute with both the bat and the ball.

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2) Shivam Dube&nbsp;

Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube can also take Moeen's spot in the playing XI which will allow CSK to play four quality overseas players in the form of Devon Conway, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan and Adam Milne all together. CSK can also include Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana in place of Jordan.

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3) Chris Jordan&nbsp;

England pacer Chris Jordan can be an excellent option in the death overs for CSK and also swing his bat in the tail. Jordan can be CSK's fourth overseas player in the XI along with Conway, Bravo and Milne. Uthappa can bat at number three with Rayudu at 4 and Ravindra Jadeja at number five to allow Jordan to be included in the XI.

&nbsp;

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be without the services of two of their key players when they take the field against Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday (March 26).

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be without the services of two of their key players when they take the field against Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday (March 26). CSK will be missing Indian pacer Deepak Chahar and England all-rounder Moeen Ali for the game. While Chahar is still recovering from his injury and is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks of action for CSK, Ali is yet to receive his visa for India and is currently stuck in London. Despite having applied for the visa a long time back, Ali is yet to receive approval and leave for India to join the rest of the CSK squad ahead of the new season. If Ali manages to land in India today (March 23) only then will he be able to feature in the playing XI for CSK in their opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 26 (Saturday). All players are required to serve at least 3 days of isolation upon landing in their team hotel. Ali is thus likely to miss CSK's opener against Shreyas Iyer's men. In the absence of Ali, CSK have a number of players on their roster who can take the England all-rounder's spot in the playing XI against KKR. Here is a look at three players who can take his spot in the side: 1) Mitchell Santner New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner can be a like-to-like replacement for Moeen Ali in the CSK line-up. While Robin Uthappa can take Ali's no.3 spot in the top-order, Santner can be slotted in the middle-order. He has been with CSK for quite some time now and is a great utility player who can contribute with both the bat and the ball. Also Read: IPL revenue to cross INR 10-billion mark for first time ever, confirms BCCI Secretary Jay Shah 2) Shivam Dube Indian all-rounder Shivam Dube can also take Moeen's spot in the playing XI which will allow CSK to play four quality overseas players in the form of Devon Conway, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan and Adam Milne all together. CSK can also include Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana in place of Jordan. Also Read: Despite BCCI's intervention Moeen Ali stranded in UK due to visa delay, likely to miss CSK's opener vs KKR 3) Chris Jordan England pacer Chris Jordan can be an excellent option in the death overs for CSK and also swing his bat in the tail. Jordan can be CSK's fourth overseas player in the XI along with Conway, Bravo and Milne. Uthappa can bat at number three with Rayudu at 4 and Ravindra Jadeja at number five to allow Jordan to be included in the XI.

Moeen Ali likely to miss IPL 2022 opener: 3 CSK players who can replace England all-rounder against KKR

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said the IPL 2022 mega auction went as per their plans for the four-time champions. MS Dhoni &amp; Co. roped in a number of their former players back at the auction including the likes of Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Uthappa among others. CSK also bought a number of quality Indian youngsters, who are set to be groomed under Dhoni.

While Fleming admitted the franchise was sad about losing a couple of old players who they would have liked having back, the CSK head coach said the squad has a great mix of youth and experience. CSK had tried to get back both Faf du Plessis and Shardul Thakur but ended up missing out on their services at the mega auction.

"We are really happy it went according to plan. We lost a couple of players which we are a bit sad about but we have gained some real talent. We've got, this year, some good blend of experience and youth. So we're really excited about the way the auction went down," Fleming said speaking about CSK's auction in a video shared by the franchise.

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&nbsp;

CSK managed to rope in some quality overseas players at nominal prices at the mega auction in the form of the Kiwi trio of Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway and Adam Milne. While all-rounder Santner and fast bowler Milne were&nbsp;bought for Rs 1.9 crore (INR 19 million) each, Conway was a steal for CSK at Rs 1 crore (INR 10 million).

Speaking about the Kiwi trio, Fleming said CSK got them for cheap at the mega auction and that they are all quality players, who can impress for the team this season.

“Well, they came cheap so it was good. They are all very skilful players. Devon Conway has had a great couple of years internationally. Mitch has been a stalwart for us. And in Adam Milne, we have got a bit of pace. So all three of them have great credentials and a good skill set for us,” said the CSK head coach.

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While Conway is likely to open for CSK with youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad this season, Milne can be the pace spearhead for the side. Santner has also been a utility player for the Dhoni-led side and is likely to be used as a back-up all-rounder.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said the IPL 2022 mega auction went as per their plans for the four-time champions. MS Dhoni & Co. roped in a number of their former players back at the auction including the likes of Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Uthappa among others.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming said the IPL 2022 mega auction went as per their plans for the four-time champions. MS Dhoni & Co. roped in a number of their former players back at the auction including the likes of Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Uthappa among others. CSK also bought a number of quality Indian youngsters, who are set to be groomed under Dhoni. While Fleming admitted the franchise was sad about losing a couple of old players who they would have liked having back, the CSK head coach said the squad has a great mix of youth and experience. CSK had tried to get back both Faf du Plessis and Shardul Thakur but ended up missing out on their services at the mega auction. "We are really happy it went according to plan. We lost a couple of players which we are a bit sad about but we have gained some real talent. We've got, this year, some good blend of experience and youth. So we're really excited about the way the auction went down," Fleming said speaking about CSK's auction in a video shared by the franchise. Also Read: Moeen Ali's availability for CSK's opener against KKR in doubt as visa issue delays his arrival CSK managed to rope in some quality overseas players at nominal prices at the mega auction in the form of the Kiwi trio of Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway and Adam Milne. While all-rounder Santner and fast bowler Milne were bought for Rs 1.9 crore (INR 19 million) each, Conway was a steal for CSK at Rs 1 crore (INR 10 million). Speaking about the Kiwi trio, Fleming said CSK got them for cheap at the mega auction and that they are all quality players, who can impress for the team this season. “Well, they came cheap so it was good. They are all very skilful players. Devon Conway has had a great couple of years internationally. Mitch has been a stalwart for us. And in Adam Milne, we have got a bit of pace. So all three of them have great credentials and a good skill set for us,” said the CSK head coach. Also Read: Not Kohli! Wasim Jaffer names Indian youngster who should open with Faf du Plessis for RCB in IPL 2022 While Conway is likely to open for CSK with youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad this season, Milne can be the pace spearhead for the side. Santner has also been a utility player for the Dhoni-led side and is likely to be used as a back-up all-rounder.

Stephen Fleming names three overseas stars who CSK got for cheap at IPL 2022 mega auction - WATCH

The IPL 2022 mega auction came to an end on Sunday evening (February 13). The two-day affair made the headlines as it saw many big players being sold for a whopping sum whereas some known faces went unsold. The domestic and relatively inexperienced campaigners also found some takers in the mega auction ahead of the IPL 2022 season.&nbsp;

The IPL 2021 champions and four-time winners MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) came into the mega auction with INR 480 million (INR 48 crore) in their purse. They had retained the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali. In the mega auction, CSK did miss out on signing&nbsp;or resigning&nbsp;some big names. However, they bought back fast-bowling all-rounders Deepak Chahar (INR 140 million), Dwayne Bravo, opener Robin Uthappa (INR 20 million), versatile batter Ambati Rayudu (INR 67.5 million)&nbsp;and spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner.

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Among the new buys, the Yellow Army roped in New Zealand opener Devon Conway (INR 10 million),&nbsp;acquired the services of Proteas all-rounder Dwaine Pretorious (INR 5 million) and went hard to add some unknown players as well -- such as Tushar Despande (INR 2 million), Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Maheesh Theekshana, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Bhagat Varma, Prashant Solanki and C Hari Nishaanth -- to bolster their bench strength.&nbsp;

Among the big misses, CSK didn't go strongly after the likes of Ishan Kishan, David Warner, or pacer Kagiso Rabada and failed to re-sign Shardul Thakur and Faf du Plessis. The biggest name missing in their line-up is Chinna Thala Suresh Raina, also known as Mr. IPL. Raina has represented CSK since the tournament's inception, after playing for now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2016 and 2017 editions, but saw his stocks going down considerably since 2018 to be left out.

CSK have considerably strengthened their all-round department with as many as over five players in the mix. Shivam Dube, who has joined the Dhoni-led brigade for INR 40 million (INR 4 crore), will add to their batting. On the other hand, Kiwi speedster Adam Milne (INR 19 million) and England's death-overs specialist Chris Jordan (INR 36 million) will also like to replicate ex-CSK pacers'&nbsp;success in the upcoming 2022 season.

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Complete squad for Dhoni-led CSK for IPL 2022:

Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c &amp; wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Devon Conway, Subhranshu Senapati, Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary, Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Prashant Solanki

Remaining purse: INR 29.5 million

The IPL 2022 mega auction came to an end on Sunday evening (February 13). The two-day affair made the headlines as it saw many big players being sold for a whopping sum whereas some known faces went unsold.

The IPL 2022 mega auction came to an end on Sunday evening (February 13). The two-day affair made the headlines as it saw many big players being sold for a whopping sum whereas some known faces went unsold. The domestic and relatively inexperienced campaigners also found some takers in the mega auction ahead of the IPL 2022 season. The IPL 2021 champions and four-time winners MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) came into the mega auction with INR 480 million (INR 48 crore) in their purse. They had retained the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali. In the mega auction, CSK did miss out on signing or resigning some big names. However, they bought back fast-bowling all-rounders Deepak Chahar (INR 140 million), Dwayne Bravo, opener Robin Uthappa (INR 20 million), versatile batter Ambati Rayudu (INR 67.5 million) and spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner. ALSO READ | Mumbai Indians complete squad for IPL 2022: Ishan Kishan, Jofra Archer top buys for Rohit Sharma & Co. Among the new buys, the Yellow Army roped in New Zealand opener Devon Conway (INR 10 million), acquired the services of Proteas all-rounder Dwaine Pretorious (INR 5 million) and went hard to add some unknown players as well -- such as Tushar Despande (INR 2 million), Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Maheesh Theekshana, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Bhagat Varma, Prashant Solanki and C Hari Nishaanth -- to bolster their bench strength. Among the big misses, CSK didn't go strongly after the likes of Ishan Kishan, David Warner, or pacer Kagiso Rabada and failed to re-sign Shardul Thakur and Faf du Plessis. The biggest name missing in their line-up is Chinna Thala Suresh Raina, also known as Mr. IPL. Raina has represented CSK since the tournament's inception, after playing for now-defunct Gujarat Lions (GL) in 2016 and 2017 editions, but saw his stocks going down considerably since 2018 to be left out. CSK have considerably strengthened their all-round department with as many as over five players in the mix. Shivam Dube, who has joined the Dhoni-led brigade for INR 40 million (INR 4 crore), will add to their batting. On the other hand, Kiwi speedster Adam Milne (INR 19 million) and England's death-overs specialist Chris Jordan (INR 36 million) will also like to replicate ex-CSK pacers' success in the upcoming 2022 season. ALSO READ | Nothing more dangerous: Twitter explodes as MI include Jofra Archer in Jasprit Bumrah-starrer pace attack Complete squad for Dhoni-led CSK for IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Devon Conway, Subhranshu Senapati, Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary, Dwayne Bravo, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Prashant Solanki Remaining purse: INR 29.5 million

Chennai Super Kings complete squad for IPL 2022: Deepak Chahar most expensive in Raina-less line-up

New Zealand host Bangladesh in the first Test match of 2022 at Mount Maunganui from Saturday. This will be New Zealand's first Test at home since being crowned World Champions in June. All-Rounder Mitchell Santner looks back on that triumph and a memorable year for the New Zealand team in this conversation with WION Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo.

WION EXCLUSIVE: A memorable 2021 for New Zealand Cricket

On December 20, the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced&nbsp;that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/t20-world-cup-is-next-year-aakash-chopra-unimpressed-as-t20is-rescheduled-from-indias-tour-of-sa-438744">T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA</a>

Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. "

Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss&nbsp;at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to good effect to clinch the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way)&nbsp;and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-is-no-1-league-but-akram-opines-on-indias-t20-wc-debacle-explains-why-they-need-to-think-back-438451">'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back'</a>

NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets.

Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," the 29-year-old concluded.

On December 20, the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

On December 20, the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022. In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours." ALSO READ | T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. " Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to good effect to clinch the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way) and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well." ALSO READ | 'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back' NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets. Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," the 29-year-old concluded.

EXCLUSIVE | We fight hard on field but have relaxing conversations off it, says Santner on India-NZ rivalry

On Monday (December 20), the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced&nbsp;that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/t20-world-cup-is-next-year-aakash-chopra-unimpressed-as-t20is-rescheduled-from-indias-tour-of-sa-438744">T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA</a>

Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. "

Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss&nbsp;at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to win the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way)&nbsp;and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well."

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-is-no-1-league-but-akram-opines-on-indias-t20-wc-debacle-explains-why-they-need-to-think-back-438451">'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back'</a>

NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets.

Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," he stated.

On Monday (December 20), the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022.

On Monday (December 20), the Amazon Prime Video made another giant leap as it announced that it will start exclusively streaming cricket matches. The popular OTT platform have forged a partnership with the New Zealand Cricket and will live stream matches of the Black Caps starting January 2022. In an exclusive interaction with www.wionnews.com's Sports Editor Digvijay Singh Deo, spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner was thrilled to bits seeing the new alliance and said, "That's awesome. To see NZ cricket in another platform is outstanding. We have some diehard Indian fans who are keen to watch the Kiwis play Bangladesh at home, they can tune in early hours." ALSO READ | T20 World Cup is next year: Aakash Chopra unimpressed as T20Is rescheduled from India's tour of SA Further, Santner also opened up on India-NZ cricketing rivalry, which has been a talking point in the 22-yard cricket strip in recent times. With the NZC's matches now set to be live streamed on the OTT platform, the popularity of the Kiwis' line-up will be bolstered further. Hence, Santner spilled the beans on the Ind-NZ cricketing relations and said, "Yeah, it will only get better. We both fight pretty hard on the field but outside, everyone is pretty keen to sit down and have relaxing conversations (off the field). We are very lucky to play in the IPL and to share a change room with guys you have grown up watching is pretty cool. To play under MS Dhoni is been a massive one for me. To also bowl alongside Ravindra Jadeja is not a bad thing as well, being a left-arm spinner myself. " Santner also recalled New Zealand's 2019 ODI World Cup final loss at the hands of England. While the contest was tied even in the Super Over, the Black Caps lost in terms of boundary count. Recalling how the Kiwis learned from their experience and used it to win the inaugural WTC finale, Santner said, "I think being there personally was very tough to swallow. you come so close....you can obviously look back at few different moments and can say 'this could have happened or that', but we channalised that (in the right way) and served as a motivation to be there and go one step further to beat India (in the WTC final). We were lucky enough to play two Tests against England (before the WTC finale) and was a big help as well." ALSO READ | 'IPL is No. 1 league but...': Akram opines on India's T20 WC debacle, explains why 'they need to think back' NZ's dream run continued in the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Black Caps lost their tournament-opener to Pakistan but defeated India, Afghanistan, Scotland, Namibia and England (in the semi-finals) to book a place in the summit clash, where they lost to Australia by 8 wickets. Santner opened up on how NZ have become a dominant team across formats and have done exceedingly well in recent ICC tournaments. "I think the depth we have got at the moment is definitely better than what it has been in two years. We are quite confident of the players we have got. We had two big games in Pakistan and India (talking about the T20 WC journey), we knew if we could win one of the two, we could have got some momentum throughout the tournament as T20s is such a massive momentum game. The results have shown that it is going right for us," he stated.

EXCLUSIVE | We fight hard on field but have relaxing conversations off it: Santner on India-NZ rivalry

Team India had a flawless outing in the third and final T20I versus New Zealand on Sunday evening (November 21) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Rohit Sharma-led India walked into the final encounter with an unassailable 2-0 lead and aimed for a whitewash. The Men in Blue succeeded in clean sweeping the Kiwis as they won the last T20I by a whopping 73-run margin.

Opting to bat first, Rohit-led India posted a competitive 184-7, riding on skipper's 56 and vital contributions from Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Deepak Chahar. In reply, NZ folded for a paltry 111 in 17.2 overs as none apart from Martin Guptill (51) looked comfortable in the middle. Hence, India had a clinical game with all their departments contributing in the win.

In terms of fielding, the hosts were right on the money as well. Ishan Kishan, who usually dons the wicketkeeper's gloves, inflicted a direct hit from the deep to dismiss stand-in captain Mitchell Santner. Ishan's efforts was lauded by the spectators whereas newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid gave a pat on the back of fielding coach T Dilip, who has succeeded R Sridhar. Check out the video:

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/virat-kohli-often-let-ms-dhoni-handle-bharat-arun-opines-on-smooth-captaincy-transition-between-duo-431347">'Virat Kohli often let MS Dhoni handle...': Bharat Arun opines on smooth captaincy transition between duo</a>

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ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/team-indias-limited-overs-specialist-suryakumar-yadav-likely-to-join-test-squad-for-nz-series-report-431253">Team India's limited-overs specialist Suryakumar Yadav likely to join Test squad for NZ series: Report</a>

After a terrific T20I series, the Indian team will now shift their focus to the two-match Test series versus the Black Caps. The series opener will be held in Kanpur from November 25 whereas the second and final Test will be held in Mumbai, from December 3.

India's squad for the 1st Test is as follows:

Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

The big guns such as regular captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, etc. are expected to return to the squad for the final Test.

Team India had a flawless outing in the third and final T20I versus New Zealand on Sunday evening (November 21) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Rohit Sharma-led India walked into the final encounter with an unassailable 2-0 lead and aimed for a whitewash.

Team India had a flawless outing in the third and final T20I versus New Zealand on Sunday evening (November 21) at the iconic Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Rohit Sharma-led India walked into the final encounter with an unassailable 2-0 lead and aimed for a whitewash. The Men in Blue succeeded in clean sweeping the Kiwis as they won the last T20I by a whopping 73-run margin. Opting to bat first, Rohit-led India posted a competitive 184-7, riding on skipper's 56 and vital contributions from Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Harshal Patel and Deepak Chahar. In reply, NZ folded for a paltry 111 in 17.2 overs as none apart from Martin Guptill (51) looked comfortable in the middle. Hence, India had a clinical game with all their departments contributing in the win. In terms of fielding, the hosts were right on the money as well. Ishan Kishan, who usually dons the wicketkeeper's gloves, inflicted a direct hit from the deep to dismiss stand-in captain Mitchell Santner. Ishan's efforts was lauded by the spectators whereas newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid gave a pat on the back of fielding coach T Dilip, who has succeeded R Sridhar. Check out the video: ALSO READ | 'Virat Kohli often let MS Dhoni handle...': Bharat Arun opines on smooth captaincy transition between duo pic.twitter.com/2lbE7v454f — pant shirt fc (@pant_fc) November 22, 2021 × ALSO READ | Team India's limited-overs specialist Suryakumar Yadav likely to join Test squad for NZ series: Report After a terrific T20I series, the Indian team will now shift their focus to the two-match Test series versus the Black Caps. The series opener will be held in Kanpur from November 25 whereas the second and final Test will be held in Mumbai, from December 3. India's squad for the 1st Test is as follows: Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara (vice-captain), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), KS Bharat (wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Md. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna The big guns such as regular captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, etc. are expected to return to the squad for the final Test.

WATCH: Rahul Dravid applauds fielding coach after Ishan Kishan's direct hit dismisses NZ's Mitchell Santner

New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;has suffered yet another&nbsp;injury&nbsp;blow on their tour of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-marnus-labuschagne-hits-double-ton-in-australias-454-in-sydney-test-272047">Australia</a> on Saturday after confirmation that bowler <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-fast-bowler-ferguson-gets-new-zealand-test-call-262318">Matt&nbsp;Henry</a>&nbsp;broke his left thumb on the opening day of the third test.

The right-arm seamer will&nbsp;continue&nbsp;to bowl in the test, which the tourists must at least draw to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash, but whether he bats will depend on "match conditions",&nbsp;New&nbsp;Zealand&nbsp;Cricket said.

The Blacks Caps lost <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-smith-strikes-a-blow-against-new-zealand-on-boxing-day-270526">Lockie Ferguson</a> to&nbsp;injury&nbsp;in the first test and another pace bowler, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-nz-spinner-somerville-replaces-injured-boult-in-sydney-test-270920">Trent Boult</a>, in the second, while <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/australia-beat-new-zealand-by-296-runs-to-win-first-test-in-perth-268378">Tim Southee</a> was dropped for the third to make way for&nbsp;Henry.

Captain <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-new-zealand-sweat-on-ailing-williamson-and-nicholls-271562">Kane Williamson</a>, batsman&nbsp;Henry&nbsp;Nicholls and spinner Mitchell Santner were also ruled out of the third test by a bout of flu.

New Zealand has suffered yet another injury blow on their tour of Australia on Saturday after confirmation that bowler Matt Henry broke his left thumb on the opening day of the third test.

New Zealand has suffered yet another injury blow on their tour of Australia on Saturday after confirmation that bowler Matt Henry broke his left thumb on the opening day of the third test. The right-arm seamer will continue to bowl in the test, which the tourists must at least draw to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash, but whether he bats will depend on "match conditions", New Zealand Cricket said. The Blacks Caps lost Lockie Ferguson to injury in the first test and another pace bowler, Trent Boult, in the second, while Tim Southee was dropped for the third to make way for Henry. Captain Kane Williamson, batsman Henry Nicholls and spinner Mitchell Santner were also ruled out of the third test by a bout of flu.

Aus vs NZ: New Zealand woes continue with bowler Matt Henry injury

Top all-rounders to watch out for in Cricket World Cup 2019

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match.

Santner said the Kiwis thought the wicket would suit pace bowlers at Edgbaston.

"Obviously, there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be. Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that," Santner said.

In the absence of legspinner Ish Sodhi, New Zealand went with the part-time off-spin of skipper Kane Willaimson, who returned with figures of 1-39.

The Kiwis were visibly helpless and frustrated as they could not break the 126-run stand between Haris Sohail and<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-babar-azam-says-belief-is-key-for-pakistan-230779"> Babar Azam</a> until the penultimate over when it was too late as Pakistan needed just two runs off 10 balls.

Santner, however, credited <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/pakistan-on-identical-1992-world-cup-path-after-beating-new-zealand-230750">Pakistan's </a>batting in the middle overs.

He also lauded the match-winning partnership between Haris and Babar.

"It's the spinner's role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it's about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you're only chasing 230, is the way to go about it," Santner said.

On the third ball of the 49th over, Haris fell short of his ground as Martin Guptill ran him out.

However, on the first ball of the last over, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-pakistan-keep-semi-final-hopes-alive-after-defeating-new-zealand-by-six-wickets-230695">Pakistan </a>skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed hit the winning boundary in a match that was must-win for the Men in Green.

"I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different," he said.

Had New Zealand won the match they would have booked their spot in the semi-finals.

The Kiwis would aim to beat Australia on June 29 at Lord's to enter the knock-out stage.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match.

New Zealand's Mitchell Santner admitted that his team could not read the pitch properly and missed the services of a second spinner against Pakistan in Wednesday's World Cup match. Santner said the Kiwis thought the wicket would suit pace bowlers at Edgbaston. "Obviously, there was a bit of turn out there, probably more than we thought there would be. Obviously at the toss, only going with one spinner, we thought it might be a bit better than that," Santner said. In the absence of legspinner Ish Sodhi, New Zealand went with the part-time off-spin of skipper Kane Willaimson, who returned with figures of 1-39. The Kiwis were visibly helpless and frustrated as they could not break the 126-run stand between Haris Sohail and Babar Azam until the penultimate over when it was too late as Pakistan needed just two runs off 10 balls. Santner, however, credited Pakistan's batting in the middle overs. He also lauded the match-winning partnership between Haris and Babar. "It's the spinner's role to take wickets on a surface like that but I think credit has to go to the way Pakistan batted throughout the middle. That partnership through the middle there was pretty special. There were a couple of chances there but it's about trying to build up pressure from both ends and stuff like that, but the way they were able to manipulate the field, and get their ones, when you're only chasing 230, is the way to go about it," Santner said. On the third ball of the 49th over, Haris fell short of his ground as Martin Guptill ran him out. However, on the first ball of the last over, Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed hit the winning boundary in a match that was must-win for the Men in Green. "I think we fought pretty well to the end and I guess they only got it in the last over. It was obviously a tough surface and we just had to stick at it. If we could put a couple on it, a couple of wickets on throughout that chase it might have been a little bit different," he said. Had New Zealand won the match they would have booked their spot in the semi-finals. The Kiwis would aim to beat Australia on June 29 at Lord's to enter the knock-out stage.

World Cup: Needed a second spinner, says Mitchell Santner after loss to Pakistan

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly.

Pakistan have a good record in matches between the two sides, winning six of their eight World Cup encounters, including semi-final victories in 1992 and in the 1999 edition, also in England. 
 
Kane Williamson's side are undefeated at the tournament in England and Wales, with five wins in six games, plus one no result.

In contrast, <a href="http://13.232.42.114/sports/world-cup-wanted-to-commit-suicide-mickey-arthur-after-pakistans-defeat-against-india-230449">Pakistan </a>must win the match at Edgbaston if they are to maintain a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals after a poor start to the tournament.

Mahmood, a former all-rounder who played in three World Cups for Pakistan, said New Zealand had a good record early in tournaments but often wilted under pressure at the business end.

"New Zealand's history is such that they get there winning, winning and then when a crunch situation comes up, in the semi-final, or quarter-final, they don't do that well," Mahmood said on Tuesday.

"It can happen to any team. Everyone has to have a bad day. Hopefully New Zealand have it tomorrow," Mahmood said.

Mahmood praised in-form paceman Mohammad Amir, who has taken 15 wickets in five matches.

"His skills and ability have always been exceptional," added&nbsp;Mahmood.&nbsp; 
 
Mitchell Santner said <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/world-cup-new-zealands-fiery-ferguson-eager-to-unsettle-west-indies-big-hitters-229435&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiMtou-uobjAhUJKo8KHenPBhEQFjAFegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0H0Z-4JijpDn086p-g7lpu">New Zealand</a> could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly as they attempt to seal their place in the World Cup semi-finals in Birmingham.

Unbeaten New Zealand have 11 points from five victories and a rained-off game while Pakistan must win to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the last four.

Santner praised Pakistan's varied bowling attack.

"Their bowling attack, on the whole, is very good. They've got some very good seam bowlers as well as spin bowlers. We're aware of their strengths, and I think Wahab (Riaz) back into their team is very good for them.(Mohammad) Amir is bowling very well as well," said Santner.

"When they're hot, they're really hot. We have to, obviously, find ways of trying to cool them down when they're like that," Santner added.&nbsp;

Santner said Pakistan, who have lost three matches at the World Cup so far, had the ability to raise their game despite their troubles.

"They took down England and took down South Africa the other day," he said.

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly.

Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood questioned New Zealand's ability to win the biggest matches ahead of World Cup clash in Birmingham, while Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly. Pakistan have a good record in matches between the two sides, winning six of their eight World Cup encounters, including semi-final victories in 1992 and in the 1999 edition, also in England. Kane Williamson's side are undefeated at the tournament in England and Wales, with five wins in six games, plus one no result. In contrast, Pakistan must win the match at Edgbaston if they are to maintain a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals after a poor start to the tournament. Mahmood, a former all-rounder who played in three World Cups for Pakistan, said New Zealand had a good record early in tournaments but often wilted under pressure at the business end. "New Zealand's history is such that they get there winning, winning and then when a crunch situation comes up, in the semi-final, or quarter-final, they don't do that well," Mahmood said on Tuesday. "It can happen to any team. Everyone has to have a bad day. Hopefully New Zealand have it tomorrow," Mahmood said. Mahmood praised in-form paceman Mohammad Amir, who has taken 15 wickets in five matches. "His skills and ability have always been exceptional," added Mahmood. Mitchell Santner said New Zealand could not afford to take "dangerous" Pakistan lightly as they attempt to seal their place in the World Cup semi-finals in Birmingham. Unbeaten New Zealand have 11 points from five victories and a rained-off game while Pakistan must win to keep alive their chances of qualifying for the last four. Santner praised Pakistan's varied bowling attack. "Their bowling attack, on the whole, is very good. They've got some very good seam bowlers as well as spin bowlers. We're aware of their strengths, and I think Wahab (Riaz) back into their team is very good for them.(Mohammad) Amir is bowling very well as well," said Santner. "When they're hot, they're really hot. We have to, obviously, find ways of trying to cool them down when they're like that," Santner added. Santner said Pakistan, who have lost three matches at the World Cup so far, had the ability to raise their game despite their troubles. "They took down England and took down South Africa the other day," he said.

World Cup: Pakistan face battle of survival against unbeaten New Zealand

Mitchell Santner, playing only his second Cricket World Cup match, needed his steely nerves to shut out the noise from the large Bangladesh crowd at the Oval and guide <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/new-zealand-beat-bangladesh-by-two-wickets-in-cricket-world-cup-224798">New Zealand to victory</a> on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old bespectacled all-rounder, who arrived at the crease with his side in danger of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, held the tail together and hit the winning runs with 17 balls remaining in the match.

Santner scored an unbeaten 17 off 12 balls and ensured the Black Caps advanced from 218-6 through to their 245-run target with his lofted off-drive from Mustafizur Rahman taking them past Bangladesh's total for two crucial competition points.

"Bangladesh were on top there for a while and you can hear it through the crowd," Santner told reporters.

"I think a big thing is communication between you and your partner. We were just trying to keep it about playing ball by ball. If they bowl a good ball then you can just try and get your ones and twos and go from there," Santner said.

Kane Williamson's side restricted the Tigers to 244 and with Williamson (40) and Ross Taylor (82) taking them through to 160-2 in the 32nd over, the 2015 World Cup finalists looked on course for an easy win.

Bangladesh's slow bowlers, however, fought back as New Zealand lost wickets at crucial junctures until Santner's 20-run stand with Matt Henry pushed them to the cusp of victory.

"I thought we were cruising there for a while, we were going to get that two or three down. But credit to the way Bangladesh bowled, they kept fighting to the end," Santner said.

It was not the first time that Santner demonstrated his calmness under pressure in one-day internationals.

Last year he smashed 45 not out from 27 balls to guide <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/live-updates-cricket-world-cup-2019-match-9-bangladesh-vs-new-zealand-224576">New Zealand</a> to a three-wicket win in Hamilton against England and followed that up with scores of 63 not out in a six-wicket loss at Mt. Maunganui.

His run out for 41 in the next game in Wellington probably cost the hosts a win in the five-run loss while he top-scored again with 67 in the fifth game against Eoin Morgan's side.

"You want to perform on the biggest stage and there's none bigger than the World Cup," said the left-arm spinner, who missed most of 2018 with a knee injury.

"It was nice to get the boys over the line. It got a bit tighter than we would have liked but we'll take the win and move on to the next game," Santner said.

Mitchell Santner, playing only his second Cricket World Cup match, needed his steely nerves to shut out the noise from the large Bangladesh crowd at the Oval and guide New Zealand to victory on Wednesday.

Mitchell Santner, playing only his second Cricket World Cup match, needed his steely nerves to shut out the noise from the large Bangladesh crowd at the Oval and guide New Zealand to victory on Wednesday. The 27-year-old bespectacled all-rounder, who arrived at the crease with his side in danger of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, held the tail together and hit the winning runs with 17 balls remaining in the match. Santner scored an unbeaten 17 off 12 balls and ensured the Black Caps advanced from 218-6 through to their 245-run target with his lofted off-drive from Mustafizur Rahman taking them past Bangladesh's total for two crucial competition points. "Bangladesh were on top there for a while and you can hear it through the crowd," Santner told reporters. "I think a big thing is communication between you and your partner. We were just trying to keep it about playing ball by ball. If they bowl a good ball then you can just try and get your ones and twos and go from there," Santner said. Kane Williamson's side restricted the Tigers to 244 and with Williamson (40) and Ross Taylor (82) taking them through to 160-2 in the 32nd over, the 2015 World Cup finalists looked on course for an easy win. Bangladesh's slow bowlers, however, fought back as New Zealand lost wickets at crucial junctures until Santner's 20-run stand with Matt Henry pushed them to the cusp of victory. "I thought we were cruising there for a while, we were going to get that two or three down. But credit to the way Bangladesh bowled, they kept fighting to the end," Santner said. It was not the first time that Santner demonstrated his calmness under pressure in one-day internationals. Last year he smashed 45 not out from 27 balls to guide New Zealand to a three-wicket win in Hamilton against England and followed that up with scores of 63 not out in a six-wicket loss at Mt. Maunganui. His run out for 41 in the next game in Wellington probably cost the hosts a win in the five-run loss while he top-scored again with 67 in the fifth game against Eoin Morgan's side. "You want to perform on the biggest stage and there's none bigger than the World Cup," said the left-arm spinner, who missed most of 2018 with a knee injury. "It was nice to get the boys over the line. It got a bit tighter than we would have liked but we'll take the win and move on to the next game," Santner said.

World Cup: Ice-cold Mitchell Santner showcases finishing ability, takes New Zealand past Bangladesh

Indian Premier League&#39;s (IPL) widely celebrated franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were dealt with a big blow, days ahead of the 11th edition of the tournament.

The franchise, which is making a comeback after being suspended for two years, is seeking a replacement for New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner after he was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury.

Santner, who was bought for Rs 50 lakh at IPL 2018 auctions, was seen as an important player for the Yellow Brigade, as the team will already be without the services of R Ashwin, who has been appointed as the new skipper of Kings XI Punjab.

Santner will undergo a knee surgery and will miss out on the upcoming Test series against England followed by the Indian Premier League.&nbsp;

As per media reports, the spinner could be out of cricketing action for six to nine months.

&quot;Mitchell is a key player in all three formats for us, so we&#39;ll certainly miss him in the upcoming series,&quot; coach Mike Hesson said.

&quot;It&#39;s important though that he gets this fixed and we have him back for what is a big next 18 months for us.&quot;

After Santner ruling, the two-time champions have Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir as the only two reputed spinners in the Indian squad with Ravindra Jadeja, who was one of the first three key players retained by CSK.

MS Dhoni and his team will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the tournament at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 7.

Indian Premier League's (IPL) widely celebrated franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were dealt with a big blow, days ahead of the 11th edition of the tournament. The franchise, which is making a comeback after being suspended for two years, is seeking a replacement for New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner after he was ruled out of the tournament due to a knee injury. Santner, who was bought for Rs 50 lakh at IPL 2018 auctions, was seen as an important player for the Yellow Brigade, as the team will already be without the services of R Ashwin, who has been appointed as the new skipper of Kings XI Punjab. Santner will undergo a knee surgery and will miss out on the upcoming Test series against England followed by the Indian Premier League. As per media reports, the spinner could be out of cricketing action for six to nine months. "Mitchell is a key player in all three formats for us, so we'll certainly miss him in the upcoming series," coach Mike Hesson said. "It's important though that he gets this fixed and we have him back for what is a big next 18 months for us." After Santner ruling, the two-time champions have Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir as the only two reputed spinners in the Indian squad with Ravindra Jadeja, who was one of the first three key players retained by CSK. MS Dhoni and his team will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening match of the tournament at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 7.

IPL 2018: CSK's Mitchell Santner ruled out of the tournament due to knee injury

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the first of three matches between T20I in Wellington on Monday.

Pakistan is currently under immense pressure as its top batting order was smashed&nbsp;and New Zealand bowlers restricted them at a total of 105 runs.

Tim Southee got his first wicket in the second over and saw off Fakhar Zaman, later he took Mohammad Nawaz&#39;s (7) and Faheem Ashraf&#39;s (7) wicket in the fourth and fourteenth over respectively.

Besides Tim Southee, Seth Rance also destroyed Pakistani line up by taking three wickets of Umar Amin (0), Hasan Ali (23) and Mohammad Amir (3). Anaru Kitchen got one wicket of Haris Sohail (9).

In the last over, Colin Munro&nbsp;got Babar Azam&#39;s wicket.

Babar Azam&nbsp;scored 41 runs for the team and tried to push the run rate before Munro got him out in the hands of Tom Bruce.

Babar found a determined ally in Hasan Ali and together they made 30 runs at a very crucial point but the latter lost his wicket to Seth Rance in the 17th over.

Adding to the destruction, Mitchell Santner out bowled Sarfraz Ahmed and the next ball was caught behind for a golden duck claiming Shadab Khan&#39;s wicket that ends Pakistan&#39;s every possible hope of resurrection.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Anaru Kitchen is in the middle of everything in Wellington! 
Two early catches and now a wicket as the dangerous Haris Sohail picks out Guptill at cover. Pakistan 24-4 after the opening 6 over PP. Card | <a href="https://t.co/MgHaD9EmkS">https://t.co/MgHaD9EmkS</a> &hellip; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvPAK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvPAK</a> <a href="https://t.co/YW7NYxoeE7">pic.twitter.com/YW7NYxoeE7</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/955281508188618753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Blackcaps are already on a high having just swept the one-day series against Pakistan and are backing themselves to continue that form as they switch to the shortest form of the game.

However, they suffered a setback hours before the match when captain Kane Williamson was withdrawn as a precautionary measure after complaining of a tight thigh.&nbsp;

Stand-in skipper Tim Southee said it was &quot;not a typical&quot; wicket at Westpac Stadium but he opted to bowl &quot;as hopefully, we will get something out of it early on.&quot;

New Zealand is resting fast bowlers Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson for the match.

Pakistan will be without Shoaib Malik who is out of the series after a delayed concussion suffered during the fourth ODI.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The BLACKCAPS have won the toss and opted to bowl first at Westpac Stadium! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nzvpak?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nzvpak</a> <a href="https://t.co/W8fMwT4oNu">pic.twitter.com/W8fMwT4oNu</a>
&mdash; BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BLACKCAPS/status/955266962161979393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Squad:

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Tom Bruce, Ross Taylor, Anaru Kitchen, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (capt), Ish Sodhi, Seth Rance.

Pakistan: Umar Amin, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashradf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

New Zealand requires 106 runs to win the first match of T20I series

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl against Pakistan in the first of three matches between T20I in Wellington on Monday. Pakistan is currently under immense pressure as its top batting order was smashed and New Zealand bowlers restricted them at a total of 105 runs. Tim Southee got his first wicket in the second over and saw off Fakhar Zaman, later he took Mohammad Nawaz's (7) and Faheem Ashraf's (7) wicket in the fourth and fourteenth over respectively. Besides Tim Southee, Seth Rance also destroyed Pakistani line up by taking three wickets of Umar Amin (0), Hasan Ali (23) and Mohammad Amir (3). Anaru Kitchen got one wicket of Haris Sohail (9). In the last over, Colin Munro got Babar Azam's wicket. Babar Azam scored 41 runs for the team and tried to push the run rate before Munro got him out in the hands of Tom Bruce. Babar found a determined ally in Hasan Ali and together they made 30 runs at a very crucial point but the latter lost his wicket to Seth Rance in the 17th over. Adding to the destruction, Mitchell Santner out bowled Sarfraz Ahmed and the next ball was caught behind for a golden duck claiming Shadab Khan's wicket that ends Pakistan's every possible hope of resurrection. Anaru Kitchen is in the middle of everything in Wellington! Two early catches and now a wicket as the dangerous Haris Sohail picks out Guptill at cover. Pakistan 24-4 after the opening 6 over PP. Card | https://t.co/MgHaD9EmkS … #NZvPAK pic.twitter.com/YW7NYxoeE7 — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 22, 2018 × Blackcaps are already on a high having just swept the one-day series against Pakistan and are backing themselves to continue that form as they switch to the shortest form of the game. However, they suffered a setback hours before the match when captain Kane Williamson was withdrawn as a precautionary measure after complaining of a tight thigh. Stand-in skipper Tim Southee said it was "not a typical" wicket at Westpac Stadium but he opted to bowl "as hopefully, we will get something out of it early on." New Zealand is resting fast bowlers Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson for the match. Pakistan will be without Shoaib Malik who is out of the series after a delayed concussion suffered during the fourth ODI. The BLACKCAPS have won the toss and opted to bowl first at Westpac Stadium! #nzvpak pic.twitter.com/W8fMwT4oNu — BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) January 22, 2018 × Squad: New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Tom Bruce, Ross Taylor, Anaru Kitchen, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (capt), Ish Sodhi, Seth Rance. Pakistan: Umar Amin, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashradf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees.

New Zealand vs Pakistan 1st T20I: Pakistan under pressure, 105 all out

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer won the toss and opted to bat on what is expected to be a flat pitch in the first test of the two-match series against New Zealand at the Queen&#39;s Sports Club today. 
 
The tourists go into the match as overwhelming favourites against a Zimbabwe side that have just played 10 tests in the last four years. The hosts have handed debuts to opener Chamu Chibhabha, all-rounder Prince Masvaure and seamer Michael Chinouya, while Cremer will lead the side for the first time. 
 
New Zealand opted for a seam attack that included Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult, as well as the spin variety of Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Williamson, who is also captaining for the first time in tests. 
 
The match is a first test for Zimbabwe in almost two years having last played away in Bangladesh in November 2014. It will be the first time they will play in Bulawayo since losing to New Zealand by 34 runs in a one-off test five years ago. They will do well to run the tourists so close again. 
 
Zimbabwe&#39;s record at the Queen&#39;s Sports Club is poor, with just a single victory in 19 matches played there to go with 11 defeats. They have never beaten New Zealand in a five-day game, suffering nine losses in the 15 matches played. 
 
(Reuters)

Zimbabwe's record at the Queen's Sports Club is poor, with just a single victory in 19 matches played there

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer won the toss and opted to bat on what is expected to be a flat pitch in the first test of the two-match series against New Zealand at the Queen's Sports Club today. The tourists go into the match as overwhelming favourites against a Zimbabwe side that have just played 10 tests in the last four years. The hosts have handed debuts to opener Chamu Chibhabha, all-rounder Prince Masvaure and seamer Michael Chinouya, while Cremer will lead the side for the first time. New Zealand opted for a seam attack that included Tim Southee, Neil Wagner and Trent Boult, as well as the spin variety of Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Williamson, who is also captaining for the first time in tests. The match is a first test for Zimbabwe in almost two years having last played away in Bangladesh in November 2014. It will be the first time they will play in Bulawayo since losing to New Zealand by 34 runs in a one-off test five years ago. They will do well to run the tourists so close again. Zimbabwe's record at the Queen's Sports Club is poor, with just a single victory in 19 matches played there to go with 11 defeats. They have never beaten New Zealand in a five-day game, suffering nine losses in the 15 matches played. (Reuters)

Zimbabwe win toss, elect to bat in first test against New Zealand

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