Jesse Ryder out of Test Series

New Zealand's star batsman Jesse Ryder has been ruled out of the up-coming Test series against England (which starts on March 4th in Hamilton) after injuring his right hand in a drink-related incident.
It occurred in Christchurch earlier today when he damaged an index finger and thumb while breaking a bar window to gain access to its toilet.

Ryder is set to be out of action for three months, just as he was becoming a serious candidate for Test selection. The big-hitting 23-year-old, who was in outstanding form in New Zealand's 3-1 one-day series triumph over England, has a history of disciplinary problems.

He will have a reconstruction to the exterior tendon on his index finger, a flap reconstruction and a skin graft. It will be around six weeks before he can start light training.

England's Women win New Zealand Tour Opener

England's Women made a winning start to the second leg of their winter tour, as they beat New Zealand Women A by 97 runs. Captain Charlotte Edwards chose to miss the game, but all-rounder Jenny Gunn was fit to return, following a shoulder problem that prevented her from playing in the Ashes Test in Australia.

England lost openers Sarah Taylor and Beth Morgan cheaply, after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Claire Taylor (photo), who led the team as acting captain, continued her fine form as she top-scored with 62 in England's total of 183-9 at the Lincoln Oval, collecting ten boundaries in a continuation of the form which brought her two half centuries in the Test against Australia. She shared a third-wicket stand of 107 with Jenny Gunn (47), but only two other batters reached double figures.

The target proved well beyond the home side, who were all out for 86 as Isa Guha took 3-9 and Jenny Gunn and Charlotte Russell picked up two wickets each. Katherine Brunt took the new ball for England in her first game after a 15-month lay-off caused by back problems and she was boosted by a wicket with her fourth delivery. Guha and Gunn (2-11) ran through the middle order as the home side slumped to 37-6, and although Rachel Priest survived 58 balls for 22, England wrapped up the win in the 38th over.

England achieved the result they wanted shortly after arriving from a triumphant tour to Australia where they drew the one-day series 2-2 and then won a one-off Test match top retain the women's Ashes.

New Zealand and England start a best of five one-day international series at the same venue later today.

England: 183-9 (50.0 overs) <> New Zealand A: 86 (37.2 overs)

England's Hopes washed away by the Rain

New Zealand has claimed the final one-day match with England in Christchurch by four wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis method and thus secured the series 3-1.

Put in to bat first, England struggled for runs and Daniel Vettori took 2-28, but Luke Wright fired four sixes in 47 and Dimitri Mascarenhas hit 22 off the final over.

Chasing 243, Brendon McCullum (photo) gave the Kiwis a stunning start, blazing five fours and six sixes in 77 off 43 balls. Ryan Sidebottom struck twice in two balls, but then the rain had the final day.

Nothing could separate the teams after 680 runs in a frantic tie in the fourth match at Napier, but there were some crucial differences in the finale.
New Zealand had a balanced attack with accomplished slower bowlers, while their opening batsmen made a mockery of England's assertion that it was a difficult pitch to score freely on. England's 100 arrived in the 25th over, New Zealand reached theirs in the 11th. Only nine runs came from the first five overs after England were asked to bat, Phil Mustard skewing to cover in the third.

Vettori was able to complete his three powerplay segments in one bundle and bowled his 10 overs consecutively. Just 11 boundaries came in the first half of the innings and again Vettori's clever variations caused problems, a quicker delivery pinning Alastair Cook on the crease for 42. Kevin Pietersen hit three fours and reached 39 in fairly reasonable time, but was also not at his happiest with the conditions. Patel's second delivery tempted him to attack and, slightly deceived by the pace, he dragged to deep mid-wicket.

Vettori tossed one up to lure Paul Collingwood out of his ground, and some sharp turn beat the edge and saw him comfortably stumped.
Twelve overs passed without a boundary, but then Wright quickly set about changing the complexion of the innings. He launched two sixes over wide mid-wicket and proved he was no one-trick pony with two off-side maximums, driving square of the wicket and then backing away to hit over cover. Wright dominated his partnership with Owais Shah, which reached 50 from 67 balls.

But remarkably all this was soon eclipsed by a phenomenal display of hitting from McCullum. The 26-year-old was particularly incensed by Stuart Broad, running down the line of the stumps at the end of the England innings, and took out his anger on the England bowlers.

Early wickets might have been a factor, and Jesse Ryder survived a half chance in the second over when Ian Bell got a hand to a firm square drive. James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom found some swing but England went on the defensive and the only movement on the ball then was when it bounced around the terraces.

McCullum was given two reprieves in quick succession, on 30 by Cook who got two hands to a stinging cover drive but could not hold on, and again on 31 when Broad failed to get to a spiralling top edge at third man. After that he smashed the final two balls of Sidebottom's over over mid-wicket for six, and launched a hapless Anderson for three successive maximums.
McCullum was dropped for a third time by Collingwood low off his own bowling, but the next ball was a good one that nipped back and ended the splendid Kiwi's scintillating performance.

At that stage 125 were needed, with 34 overs remaining. Jamie How edged behind and Anderson's painful figures were ameliorated when Scott Styris mis-hit to mid-off. Then - in his final over - Sidebottom, finding swing again under the lights, trapped debutant Daniel Flynn and bowled Jacob Oram with a beauty, with 46 were still required.

Light drizzle added further intrigue, but when it intensified, it ensured there would be no miraculous England triumph. There was some confusion when - after the forced rain break - England returned to the field, only to be told by the umpires that they had already lost the match under the complicated - and little understood by the public - Duckworth-Lewis method. So, all was over without another over, and a generally interesting series with great performances on both sides ended in an anti-climax.
New Zealand's win is well deserved, as they dominated the first two matches and showed skills and strength in all of them. England will need more consistency and discipline, if they want to succeed in future where they failed this time.

Fifth One-Day International (Christchurch)
England: 242-7 (50 overs) <> New Zealand: 213-6 (37 overs)
(Duckworth-Lewis method was used, reducing New Zealand's target to 213)

The Thriller of Napier

The current One-Day Series in New Zealand is still undecided. In the fourth match, played at Napier, England hit back with some late wickets to earn a dramatic tie against New Zealand and keep the series alive, going into the final game on Saturday.

Daniel Vettori needed two off the last ball to win the game and the series, but could only manage one off Luke Wright. New Zealand had looked set to reach their target of 341, but Jamie How was run out for 139 in the last over.

New Zealand gave England the opportunity to bat first on a perfect pitch and the tourists responded by rattling up their third highest score in one-day internationals. England's 340-6 was partly due to captain Paul Collingwood, hitting England's fastest one-day fifty off just 24 balls.
The out-of-form Alastair Cook was given a lifeline when New Zealand wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum unbelievably dropped the most straightforward of chances. England capitalised on their good fortune, and while Phil Mustard blazed a trail of runs, Cook began to show his own class with some effective pulls and drives.
Mustard (right) brought up his maiden one-day fifty with a typically risky chip over the vacant slip area for four, and Cook followed soon after with a sumptuous extra-cover drive.

They both looked completely in control - until Vettori turned to the medium pacer Jesse Ryder. Suddenly England had to rebuild and Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen did just that. Bell looked in prime touch before he perished in the deep for 43, leaving Pietersen and Collingwood to continue the assault.
Collingwood stepped across to the offside and lashed anything he could get his bat on into the stands for six - even hammering debutant Iain O'Brien against the roof. Pietersen (50) fell to Vettori, and Shah was caught in the deep, but Collingwood and then Wright continued to score runs as the Kiwis toiled.

The England captain finished with six sixes to his name and the pressure was on New Zealand from the start of their innings to keep up with the massive run rate of 6.82.
Their cause was not helped when James Anderson rapped McCullum on the right hand and the Kiwi opener required treatment. Having looked as though he would have to retire, McCullum proceeded to step up the tempo, hammering Anderson to all parts of the ground and passing fifty soon after. How had joined him and immediately looked at ease on the wicket, reaching his half-century by clubbing Collingwood into the legside crowd for two huge sixes.

How was in great form and he continued on his merry way, capitalising on anything remotely short or wide with stunning efficiency. Ross Taylor joined the party to put on 92 in 13 overs with How, before Anderson caught his outside edge.
How blitzed his way to a maiden one-day hundred, before England cranked up the tempo and got rid of Styris, Fulton and Oram in a quick-fire spell as tension got to the hosts. Wright (left, with Anderson) was bizarrely picked to bowl the last over - his first in the match - and with seven needed for the Kiwis, How was run out and they could only manage six as the game was sensationally tied.

The incredible ending of this true Cricket thriller means that England can still level the five-match series by winning at Christchurch on Saturday. However, it is more likely that New Zealand will win that match and the series.

Fourth One-Day International (Napier)
England: 340-6 (50 overs) <> New Zealand: 340-7 (50 overs)

The Empire strikes back

Well, it appears that England is not down and out yet down under, and that our one-day XI is still a force to be reckoned with. After heavy and embarrassing defeats in the first two matches, the third - played earlier today in Auckland (and followed ball by ball via TMS by many England fans) - had the (British) Empire striking back. Captain Paul Collingwood (right) led England to a six-wicket win, to keep the one-day series against New Zealand alive.

Collingwood won the toss and - having obviously learned from recent experience - opted to field first. With Dimitri Mascarenhas and Luke Wright recalled at the expense of Graeme Swann and Ravi Bopara, the tourists looked a different team altogether during the day-night match in Auckland.

England had the Kiwis at 95-6 - thanks to Anderson, Broad and Collingwood, who took two wickets each (with Mascarenhas taking two catches off Anderson and Broad) - but Jacob Oram smashed 88 off 91 balls to help the home side survive their 50 overs and end on 234-9.

Chasing a revised target of 229 in 47 overs (adjusted from the original 235, using the Duckworth-Lewis method) after a short interruption by rain, Ian Bell (73) and Kevin Pietersen (41) shared 107, but fell in three overs to an economical Daniel Vettori.
Paul Collingwood hit three sixes in 70 (from 50 balls) to secure victory with three overs left. He was joined by Owais Shah, and the pair played sensibly to keep the rate around a run a ball, recording a fifty stand in 51 balls.

It was an important win for England, who were comprehensively beaten after making low scores batting first in the two opening matches of the five-game series. The two remaining matches will still be challenging for England, and the Kiwis are no easy opposition. But at least the one-day series is kept alive, with the Test matches still to come.

Third One-Day International (Auckland)
New Zealand: 234-9 (50 overs) <> England: 229-4 (44 overs)
(Duckworth-Lewis method was applied, reducing England's target to 229)

Dismal Start for England in New Zealand

England have played badly before many times, and especially on foreign tours our national XI is prone to failure.
But rarely have I seen such disastrous performances as the first two One-Day Internationals of the current winter tour to New Zealand. What is the point of having very well paid professional players and sending them to the other side of the globe, if they play worse than the amateur second XI of Little Humbledon-on-the-Haze? Something is - once again - very wrong with the England team, and I wonder if the new selector might have a word or two to say about it. But so far Geoff Miller is keeping silent...

On February 9th the opening match of the one-day series was played in Wellington. England won the toss and decided to bat, but there was little joy for the tourists who were bowled out for an unbelievable 130. Phil Mustard was the top-scorer with 31, and Stuart Broad impressed with 3-26. But the bowlers had really nothing to defend and New Zealand eased to victory in 30 overs, completely at home on a slow wicket which had bamboozled England.

Given that the tourists had enjoyed a good build-up to the series, with comprehensive wins in the two Twenty20 Internationals, it was a desperately disappointing performance from them - particularly with the bat.

If the first match was really bad, the second - played earlier today in Hamilton - was abysmal. New Zealand won the toss and decided to field, but once again the England batting collapsed in a shambles. For the second match running, England's innings was unhinged by three run-outs. And after they had been bowled out for 158 in only 35.1 overs, three catches were dropped as New Zealand blasted their way to the winning target in an amazing speed, passing it without loss in just 18.1 overs!

England captain Paul Collingwood (left) conceded that his team had produced a "very poor performance" in the second One-Day International against the Kiwis. "We're very disappointed," he said. "There are eleven blokes in the dressing-room who are devastated. We hit 85 from the first 15 overs, but when the rain came it really knocked the stuffing out of us. I don't know why, but it was very poor from then."
Commenting on the run-outs, Collingwood said: "I would have thought we would have learned from the last game, and I hold my hand up as I was involved with the first one. We are not getting totals on the board for the bowlers to defend and we have got to get that right pretty soon."

I could not agree more with Collingwood, but I am still waiting to hear a word from Geoff Miller...

By contrast, New Zealand opener Brendon McCullum was full of confidence after his sparkling unbeaten 80, containing five sixes, gave his team a commanding 2-0 lead in the series.
McCullum's innings was particularly inspirational after he revealed that his father had been rushed to hospital at the weekend following a heart scare.

First One-Day International (Wellington)
England: 130 (49.4 overs) <> New Zealand: 131-4 (30.0 overs)

Second One-Day International (Hamilton)
England: 158 (35.1 overs) <> New Zealand: 165-0 (18.1 overs)

England's Women frustrated over short Ashes tour

England's women captain Charlotte Edwards is frustrated that their Ashes defence will be decided by just a single Test in Australia next month. England's women won their Ashes over two Tests at home in 2005, but there is now only room for one Test on the upcoming tour.

"It's frustrating. We'd have preferred a two or three-match series, but it can't be," Edwards said in an interview with the BBC. "If it rains then it could be even more frustrating, but we won't go looking for a draw. May the best team win."

The England team has now arrived in Australia, knowing they face a tough task against opponents that are the top-ranked side in the women's game. But 28-year-old captain Edwards is confident the memories of 2005 will help lift England's performance.
"We are going out there as underdogs," she admitted. "It's a massive challenge for us, as Australia have been the most consistent team in the world for the last ten years. But the 2005 win made Cricketing history and is something that I will never forget."

England will play a Twenty20 match and five one-day internationals against Australia prior to the Ashes Test, which starts at the Bradman Oval in Bowral on February 15th. Afterwards they will head off for more one-day matches in New Zealand.