New Zealand and India were foiled by rain in Wellington as the opening game in their three-match T20I series was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The teams, both beaten in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last week, were looking to start afresh at Sky Stadium on Friday.

However, persistent rain meant there was no prospect of play, with the first action in the series now set to take place on Sunday at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

The tourists have rested captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul for this series, while New Zealand have won their past four multi-game bilateral T20I series and will attempt to extend that to five for the first time.

India were the last team to beat New Zealand in such a series, achieving a 3-0 success a year ago.

A magnificent 105 not out from captain Rovman Powell led the Jamaica Scorpions to a three-wicket victory over the Guyana Harpy Eagles in the second semi-final of the CG Insurance Super50 Cup at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Thursday.

The Harpy Eagles won the toss and decided to bat first. Openers Anthony Bramble and Kemol Savory put on 39 before Bramble was removed for 22 by Jeavor Royal in the 10th over.

Savory was next to go for 15, caught by Brandon King off the bowling of Nicholson Gordon at the end of the 11th over.

Tevin Imlach and captain Leon Johnson then put on a brief 33-run partnership before Imlach became Odean Smith’s first wicket for 20 to leave the Harpy Eagles 76-3 off 18.5 overs.

That wicket brought Shimron Hetmyer to the crease to join Johnson and the pair brought up the hundred for Guyana in the 24th over.

Johnson got a reprieve in the 23rd over when he was dropped by King on 22 with the score on 92-3 but his luck ran out when King made up for his earlier mistake to catch Johnson off Dennis Bulli for 30 to leave the Harpy Eagles 113-4 in the 26th over. The Scorpions could have removed new batsman Sherfane Rutherford in the same over but King dropped his second catch of the day at slip.

Hetmyer brought up his 10th List A fifty off 47 balls in the 31st over. The same over also saw him and Rutherford carry Guyana past 150.

The pair continued to pepper the Scorpions bowling and brought up Guyana’s 200 in the 38th over with Hetmyer cruising on 69 and Rutherford on 44. With a boundary off Odean Smith in the 40th over, Rutherford brought up his 50 off 41 balls and brought up the 100-partnership between himself and Hetmyer off 84 deliveries. Two balls later, Rutherford was dismissed for 56 to leave the Harpy Eagles 219-5.

Hetmyer was finally dismissed by Odean Smith in the 44th over for a well-played 86 off 76 balls to leave Guyana 250-6.

Guyana was 296-6 off 47.1 overs when rain started. Kevin Sinclair (33) and Romario Shepherd (21) were the not out batsmen. After a break of about 20 minutes, the Harpy Eagles brought up their 300 off 47.5 overs, their first score of 300 in this year’s tournament.

Eventually, after the wickets of Shepherd (28), Gudakesh Motie (0) and Veerasammy Permaul (0), Guyana was able to post 318-9 from their 50 overs. Kevin Sinclair ended 45 not out from 32 balls. Odean Smith ended with 5-65 from his nine overs for the Scorpions while Nicholson Gordon provided some good bowling at the death to finish with 2-55 from his eight overs.

Jamaica’s reply did not get off to the best of starts as Chadwick Walton was removed for just 11 in the fourth over with the score on 23.

Brandon King and Andre McCarthy then combined and put the Guyana bowling to the sword, with King bringing up his second fifty of the tournament off just 34 balls as the pair brought the score up to 83-1 after 11 overs.

The partnership was broken in the 13th over when McCarthy was trapped in front by Gudakesh Motie for 22 to leave the Scorpions at 92-2.

The 15th over was then a bittersweet one for the Jamaicans as they brought up their 100 but, on the other hand, also lost Brandon King for 64 from just 49 balls to be left 101-3.

Alwyn Williams (24) and Rovman Powell (31) were the batsmen at the crease when the Scorpions brought up their 150 after 22 overs. Powell brought up his fifty off 38 balls with a boundary off Nial Smith in the 28th over to move the score up to 188-3.

The Scorpions brought up their 200 through an Alwyn Williams six off Kevin Sinclair in the 30th over. Similar to when the 100 was brought up, Williams was then dismissed off the very next ball for 45 to leave the score at 204-4 after 29.4 overs.

Jamaica lost their fifth wicket when Peat Salmon went caught behind off the bowling of Motie for eight with the score on 214 from 32.2 overs.

Powell and Dennis Bulli moved the Scorpions score up to 248-5 before Bulli was dismissed for 17 by Nial Smith in the 38th over. Powell then hit Smith for a boundary in the same over to move up to 77 and move the Scorpions past 250.

With the Scorpions needing 34 from 37 balls, Sherfane Rutherford dismissed Odean Smith for 19 to leave score at 285-7 after 44 overs.

A Jeavor Royal six in the 47th over brought up the 300 for the Scorpions, leaving them needing just 14 runs to win from 22 balls.

Captain Powell then brought up a magnificent 100 off just 89 balls including seven fours and three sixes, his fourth List A hundred, leaving Jamaica needing 10 more runs off the final three overs to advance to the final.

Needing only three runs to win from the last two overs, Jeavor Royal hit Nial Smith for a six to bring the Scorpions to 322-7 off 48.1 overs, sealing an excellent three-wicket win.

Powell ended 105 not out while Motie led the Harp Eagles bowling with 3-48 from his 10 overs.

The Jamaica Scorpions will now play the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in Saturday’s final at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

 

 

 

 

West Indies legend Shivnarine Chanderpaul believes several of the current generation are more motivated by money as opposed to the pride that drove their predecessors to global success.

Over the last several years the Caribbean team’s struggles with the losing its players to lucrative T20 league around the world is a well noted one.  At various points in time some of the region’s most notable players have found themselves at loggerheads with Cricket West Indies (CWI) over availability issues.

On occasion, the Windies best players have opted to take part in the world’s year-round T20 leagues ahead of international fixtures, which has left the team without some of its most experienced campaigners.

“We played for pride,” added Chanderpaul told Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald, on the heels of his recent induction to the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame.

“There are a lot of Premier leagues around the world. West Indies cricket is not what these guys would depend on these days, so I don’t think they’re as keen. They can go elsewhere and play and not focus on having to represent West Indies,” he added.

“Whatever comes up, the guys are happy to make as much as they can while their cricket career lasts,” he added.

 

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks and Jason Holder all got half-centuries on day one of the West Indies’ three-day tour match against a combined NSW and ACT XI at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, Australia on Wednesday.

Brathwaite hit 10 fours on his way to a top-score of 75 from 114 balls while Brooks, who opened with Brathwaite because Tagenarine Chanderpaul was unwell, got 56 off 116 balls including five fours.

All-rounder Holder (50) and Jermaine Blackwood (42) are the not out batsmen as the tourists closed the day on 297-5 from 90 overs. The other batsmen dismissed were Raymon Reifer (21), Nkrumah Bonner (15) and Kyle Mayers (17).

West Indies have two tour matches before the Test series begins in Perth on November 30.

New Zealand and India will attempt to put the disappointment of failing to win the T20 World Cup behind them when they start a three-match T20i series on Friday.

England hammered India by 10 wickets at the semi-final stage before beating Pakistan at the MCG on Sunday to lift the trophy for a second time.

The Black Caps missed out once again when they lost to Pakistan in the semi-final, having been runners-up to Australia in Dubai last year.

India will be without captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul for three matches against New Zealand in the shortest format, as the experienced trio have been given a post-World Cup rest.

Hardik Pandya will skipper the tourists, with VVS Laxman filling in as head coach as Rahul Dravid is also absent.

Laxman wants to see the India players express themselves in a series that gets under way at Westpac Stadium

He said: "It is important to be flexible. I think in T20 cricket, you are required to express yourself and that is when you will be successful. I think T20 cricket has shown us over the years that the more amount of multi-dimensional players you have, the better for the team.

"You have bowlers who can bat, and batters who can bowl, and that is the way forward. That has already been proven in T20 cricket, the more number of bowlers who can bat will add depth to the team and it allows a lot of freedom for the batters to express themselves.

"That is the need for the format and I am sure more and more teams will try to get that into their selection process and identify players who are multi-dimensional players."

New Zealand have won their past four multi-game bilateral T20I series and will attempt to extend that to five for the first time, with India being the last team to beat them in a series with a 3-0 success a year ago.

 

No Boult to strike for Black Caps

Trent Boult was not included in the New Zealand squad after a request to be released from his central contract was accepted in August.

They still possess a strong attack in his absence, with Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson set to be unleashed and Adam Milne back in the fold along with Blair Tickner

Experienced opener Martin Guptill was overlooked once again, with Finn Allen keeping his spot at the top of the order.

 

India need Pant back to his explosive best

Rishabh Pant only played twice in the World Cup, making three against Zimbabwe before falling for only nine in the crushing semi-final loss at the hands of England.

Dinesh Karthik had been preferred to Pant, but the experienced wicketkeeper-batter is not in the squad to face New Zealand.

Pant is only 30 runs short of becoming 11th player to score 1,000 runs for India in men’s T20Is and India will need him to explode into life.

Dawid Malan hopes he can make up for his T20 World Cup Final absence by forcing his way into England's ICC Men's World Cup plans despite defeat against Australia on Thursday.

The top-order batsman was a member of Jos Buttler's title-winning squad earlier this month, but was ruled out of the final through injury.

With several first-choice names rested for the ODI opener against their hosts in Adelaide however, the Yorkshire all-rounder flourished with a score of 134, even as England fell to a six-wicket loss.

Buttler will look to defend England's 50-over World Cup success next year following triumph in 2019, and Malan hopes his emphatic response on his return can help him push his name into the conversation.

"To get to the T20 World Cup final and be ruled out was gutting, so to come here, prove my fitness and score a hundred was extremely satisfying," he stated.

"I think it's always important to score runs. I think 50 overs is probably my strongest format, but it's hard to get into the team with how guys have performed the last couple of years.

"But if I keep doing what I'm doing, I might be part of that squad."

Australia captain Pat Cummins was delighted to see his side bounce back from T20 World Cup disappointment, where the hosts failed to reach the semi-final stage.

"England are always a strong team," he told Test Match Special. "It's nice for us to get back out there and make amends, remind ourselves we are still a very good team despite being disappointed."

The pair meet again on Saturday in the second of three ODIs, before they resume hostilities in The Ashes in the new year.

England were consigned to a six-wicket defeat by Australia in the first one-day international four days after winning the T20 World Cup despite a brilliant Dawid Malan century.

Having succumbed to a group-stage exit as T20 World Cup holders on home soil, Australia took the first of three ODIs at Adelaide Oval on Thursday

Malan made a superb 134, but lacked support as Jos Buttler’s side posted 287-9 – Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa taking three wickets apiece.

That was not enough to take a 1-0 lead, with David Warner (86), Travis Head (69) and Steve Smith (80 not out) making half-centuries as Australia got home with 19 balls to spare.

England were reduced to 31-3 after new ODI captain Cummins, who replaced Aaron Finch, won the toss and put them in, the skipper removing Phil Salt before the returning Jason Roy was cleaned up by Mitchell Starc.

The tourists were up against it at 118-5 after skipper Buttler (29) offered Ashton Agar a simple catch in the 24th over, but Malan's best ODI knock gave them hope.

Agar denied Malan a six with an incredible leap over the rope, then caught the left-hander two balls later for his fellow spinner Zampa.

While Malan gave England something to defend, they failed to make early inroads with the ball as Warner and Head – taking Finch’s place at the top of the order – got Australia off to a flyer.

They drove the hosts to 147 without loss before Head was taken by Salt off the bowling of Chris Jordan, while David Willey instilled some belief with the quickfire dismissals of Warner and Marnus Labuschagne.

However, they were unable to see the back of the composed Smith as Australia eased to victory. 

Australia batters make light work of chase

Warner and Head's partnership of 147 was the second highest by an Australian opening pair against England in a men's ODI, falling narrowly short of the record of 163 set by Warner and Finch in January 2014.

Head will have been particularly keen to demonstrate his value after being drafted in following Finch's ODI retirement ahead of this series, and he now has a chance to cement his spot during a busy schedule before next year's ODI World Cup in India. 

Malan's efforts in vain

There were few positives for England to take following the high of being crowned T20 world champions for a second time at the MCG last weekend with a win over Pakistan.

Malan's hundred from only 128 balls, however, was a masterclass as he put the disappointment of not playing in the World Cup semi-final or final after sustaining a groin injury against Sri Lanka behind him. He struck four sixes and a further 12 boundaries.

A century from Nicholas Pooran and half-centuries from Amir Jangoo and Darren Bravo led Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to a thrilling 10-run victory over the Barbados Pride in the first semi-final of the GC Insurance Super50 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Wednesday.

Pooran hit five fours and eight sixes in his 111 that came from just 82 balls and was instrumental in getting the Red Force to 312-6, the highest score in the competition this season.

Chasing 313 for victory, Barbados were restricted to 302-8 despite an incredibly valiant 130 not out from 79 balls by Roshon Primus, his highest List A score.

The Pride were in early trouble at 13-2 in the fourth over after Shannon Gabriel had Zachary McCaskie caught at slip for one before returning to bowl Kyle Hope for four. The Pride slipped into further trouble at 45-3 when Sunil Narine had Shai Hope caught behind for 24.

Johnathan Carter and Nicholas Kirton got Barbados back on track with a 63-run partnership that got them to 108 when Shannon Gabriel picked up his third wicket, having Carter caught at deep backward point by Jason Mohammed for 45.

Kirton did not last much longer.

Fourteen balls and 10 runs later, he was caught by Narine off the bowling of Yanick Cariah for 35 leaving Barbados sinking fast at 118-5, still 195 runs behind.

When Shamar Springer was trapped lbw by Imran Khan for five, all seemed lost for Barbados, who at this point were 146-6.

However, Roshon Primus and Akeem Jordan were not ready to give up. Together they put together a run-a-ball 93 runs for the seventh wicket before things unraveled for Barbados for the final time. Jordan was run out off the first ball of Gabriel's eighth over for 33. Gabriel then picked up his fourth wicket next ball when he bowled Jomel Warrican for a duck and suddenly Barbados, who were 239-6 had slipped to 239-8.

Primus continued to resist. Consecutive sixes and a boundary in the 45th over bowled by Terrance Hinds brought Primus his maiden List A century from just 61 balls.

With 17 needed from the final over being bowled by Shannon Gabriel, Primus hit the first ball for four but three dot balls followed, meaning Barbados needed 13 from two deliveries. Primus took two from the fifth and the match was over. Primus' unbeaten knock included 10 fours and nine sixes and with Camarie Boyce (13 not), he put on 63 for the ninth wicket but it was simply not enough.

Shannon Gabriel was the best of the Red Force bowlers finishing with 4-43.

 Batting first, T&T Red Force were in early trouble losing two wickets inside three overs after Akeem Jordan dismissed Kjorn Ottley for one and Jason Mohammed for a duck with consecutive deliveries. The early dismissals brought Jangoo and Bravo together and they put on 92 for the third wicket before Bravo was caught at fine leg by Jomel Warrican off the bowling of Springer for 54 in the 24th over.

His dismissal brought Pooran to the crease and he immediately went after the bowling playing some injudicious shots and was fortunate not be dismissed early on. However, as he settled into his innings, he pummeled the bowling racing to 50 in just 41 balls. He put on 147 with Jangoo before the latter was caught by Jordan off Springer for 81 in the 44th over. Pooran was eventually dismissed in the 46th trying to hit Springer for six.

With the score 256-5, 300 looked on the cards and the Red Force duly obliged thanks to a sparkling cameo from Akeal Hosein who smashed 42 from just 20 deliveries. He hit three fours and three sixes in a 53-run sixth-wicket stand with Terrance Hinds before he was caught by Jordan off Springer in the final over.

Hinds was not out on nine and Sunil Narine on two at the end.

Springer finished with 4-64 from nine overs while Jordan returned figures of 2-31 from his allotment of 10 overs.

 

 

 

 

West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder does not expect a hangover from a poor T20 World Cup campaign to impact the team for the upcoming Test series against Australia.

A shocking first-round exit from the tournament last month cast a long shadow over cricket in the Caribbean region, which remains in the process of searching for answers.

Despite the change in formats, some have suggested that the team could be negatively impacted heading into the series.  Holder, however, does not believe it will be the case.

“I think for me the World Cup is behind me, we just have to look forward to this series,” Holder told members of the media on Tuesday.

The Test unit, led by Kraigg Brathwaite has been in before form and has won the last two series.

“It’s a fresh group with different players a whole different dynamic. The prospects of this team have been really good, they’ve played some really good cricket this year and they have good leadership.  Kraigg has done an outstanding job and he’s led the boys really well, so we are looking forward to the prospects here.”

England will be the team to beat in limited-overs cricket over the next couple of years, according to former Australia captain Steve Waugh.

Australia's old enemy won the T20 World Cup in Melbourne on Sunday, beating Pakistan in the final, having also secured the 50-over World Cup in 2019.

The host nation did not make it out of the Super 12 stage after failing to recover from a heavy opening defeat to New Zealand.

Speaking to Stats Perform at the Laureus Challenge 2022, presented by Sierra Space, Waugh said Australia's performance in the tournament had been disappointing and tipped England to face motivated opposition now they are on top of both formats of limited-overs cricket.

"It was our home World Cup, I guess the fans expected Australia to do well but they didn't make the semi-finals, which was disappointing," Waugh conceded. "They weren't at their best and in T20, winning, it's a very fine line. If you're not 100 per cent in the game, you're gonna lose the match. And so Australia probably didn't deserve to be in the semi-finals.

"England, I think, were the best team overall so they deserved to win it, [and] Pakistan put up a good show.

"But [for] England it's pretty exciting to win both the 50-over World Cup and now the 20-over World Cup... They've set a benchmark for themselves, every other side is going to be trying to beat them in the next couple of years."

Waugh played in 168 Test matches for Australia between 1985 and 2004, scoring 10,927 runs at an average of 51.06, as well as making 325 ODI appearances, with an average of 32.90.

Asked why he thought Australia struggled at the T20 World Cup, Waugh said: "I just think they didn't really click. The first game against New Zealand was a really bad result, they lost by 90 runs, and that put pressure on their run rate and almost threw them off balance all the way through.

"The captain [Aaron Finch] was a bit out of form. So maybe that was a bit unsettling in the team. But overall, they just weren't on their game. Their fielding wasn't up to scratch and they looked a bit sluggish."

It was England who took the trophy, though, with Ben Stokes hitting his first ever T20I half-century as his team beat Pakistan by five wickets in the final.

"I think it was an entertaining final [and] it could have gone either way," Waugh said. "But England had that man called Ben Stokes, who seems to perform in those pressure situations and has almost got a bit of a Midas touch in the big games."

Despite the hosts' struggles, Waugh still feels the event was a success, with big crowds turning up to games.

"The crowds were huge," he said. "One hundred thousand people saw India play Pakistan at the MCG... The people loved it.

"T20 cricket is a real social event. Young people go and watch it, have a good time. And it's exciting, they get a quick result. And they can see another game the next day."

West Indies batting great Brian Lara is among a three-member group of independent professionals named by Cricket West Indies (CWI) to conduct a comprehensive review of the early exit by the West Indies Men’s team from the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

CWI on Wednesday announced that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Review Group will undertake a holistic assessment of all aspects of the team’s preparation and performance at the global tournament. 

Along with Lara, who is also a current IPL T20 head coach, the panel also includes international cricket coach, South African Mickey Arthur and Justice Patrick Thompson Jr., a High Court Judge at the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, who will serve as Chair of the group that has already begun their work.

 “CWI is fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and totally independent panel agree to serve West Indies Cricket under challenging circumstances. I am especially grateful for their commitment to lend some of their valuable time to this important review project," said CWI President Ricky Skerritt.

"t is vital that players, coaches, administrators, and all of us who love West Indies cricket, recognize that creating a sustainable learning culture, throughout the organization, is a prerequisite for player growth and team improvement. Emotion-based and knee-jerk type decisions have failed CWI repeatedly in the past. I am confident that this independent World Cup review process will produce findings and learnings that should be of great benefit to our cricket system going forward.”

The West Indies team failed to qualify for the Super12s phase (second round) after losing unexpectedly to lower ranked teams, Scotland and Ireland. The losses caused great disappointment and frustration among all West Indies cricket stakeholders. The Group B qualifier round was played at Bellerive Oval in Tasmania where the team achieved their only victory over Zimbabwe, a team that qualified ahead of West Indies by defeating both Scotland and Ireland. 

 

Dwayne Bravo has lauded Kieron Pollard on his decision to retire from the Indian Premier League.

The celebratory drinks have barely been consumed and England's World Cup heroes are having to put the pads on again.

Just five days after beating Pakistan to win the T20 World Cup in Melbourne, Jos Buttler will lead his team out at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday to take on Australia in the first of three one-day internationals.

The tourists have not been shy in pointing out the relentlessness of the cricket schedule, with Moeen Ali calling it "horrible", while coach Matthew Mott added "it's not ideal".

However, while Buttler agrees with the sentiment, the England skipper has no doubts that playing against the old enemy will be more than enough motivation for them.

"It's tough, I think, absolutely. But we just get on with it," he told reporters. "It is a fast turnaround. There's no point hiding away that it will be a challenge for us, having had such a high a few days ago.

"Once you get over the line and you're playing against Australia, I'm sure those competitive juices will get going."

With the 50-over World Cup in India just 11 months away, both teams need to be thinking about their preparations already, with Australia having a point to prove after an insipid defence of their T20 title in their own country.

The hosts' loss against New Zealand in their opener and an inability to post a sufficient run rate in other games ultimately saw them crash out at the Super 12 stage, and watching England win it all at the MCG must have made it a more bitter pill to swallow. 

Pat Cummins leads the team having taken over the captaincy from Aaron Finch, and has reason to be confident with a very strong side selected and a good recent record in the 50-over format.

Australia beat England 2-1 in their most recent ODI series in September 2020, and have won their past four ODI series at home; their last home series defeat coming against India in January 2019.

They will hope to take advantage of a tired England, though will have to be wary of a team that seems to be finding its feet in limited overs cricket again under Mott and Buttler.

Performing at the death

Death overs are often where games are won and lost, and this could be where Australia come into their own. Cummins has a bowling dot ball percentage of 57 per cent during the last 10 overs in men's ODIs in 2022, with only Afghanistan trio Mohammad Nabi (67 per cent), Yamin Ahmadzai (60 per cent) and Rashid Khan (58 per cent) having a better rate among players from Test-playing countries (minimum of five overs bowled).

In addition, Cameron Green has a bowling average of 3.2 during these death overs (41st-50th) in 2022, the best of any player from a Test-playing country (minimum of two overs bowled).

Roy returns seeking run milestone

One England player with added motivation will be Jason Roy, who was overlooked for Alex Hales at the T20 World Cup.

Roy is just 46 runs away from becoming the 12th player to score 4,000 for England in men's ODIs; if he achieves the milestone in Adelaide, his 102nd in the format, he will become the second-fastest England player to reach it after Joe Root (91 innings).

Kane Williamson will continue to represent New Zealand in all three formats despite his T20I future being questioned following the Black Caps' World Cup exit earlier this month.

Williamson captained his country on their run to the last four at the tournament in Australia, where they suffered a seven-wicket loss to eventual runners-up Pakistan.

That defeat represented the latest tournament shortfall for New Zealand, who also lost last year's T20 World Cup final to Australia and finished as runners-up to England in 2019's 50-over World Cup.  

At the age of 32, Williamson accepts he must manage his workload, but he will not follow the lead of international team-mate Trent Boult by being selective regarding which formats he plays.

"I love all the formats, for different reasons. In fact, playing the three and changing between them is a challenge that is enjoyable," Williamson told ESPNcricinfo. 

"But having said that, there is a balance to strike in terms of just general volume [of cricket], and that's important.

"Everybody is a little bit challenged by that, certainly some of the players that may have done it for a long time, and you're always looking to be clear with that direction – to stay fresh and focused on what is most important with your involvement in any team." 

World Test champions New Zealand have finished as runners-up at three World Cups across the two shortened formats since 2015, but Williamson is not thinking about the prospect of a transitional period as the country's golden generation comes to an end.

"You sort of hope that whilst you're here, and trying to do as well as you can as a team with all the other individuals involved, that there's a real effort to try and grow the game," he added.

"To try and play your role to the best of your ability, to try and improve as much as you can as a player, hopefully that sort of adds to the depth of cricket that we have.

"Focusing on what's in front of you is what's really important, and in years to come there'll be transition, or there's perhaps transition a little bit earlier – that's always there.

"That's always happening in professional sport, and whoever the next group or crop are, I'm sure they'll have a lot of motivation to want to get better as a team and go even further as a side."

New Zealand will look to bounce back from their World Cup exit when they host the first of three T20Is against India on Friday, with that series being swiftly followed by three ODI meetings. 

West Indies Test captain Kraigg Brathwaite admits he is looking forward to a potential partnership with new comer Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who could make his debut in the upcoming series against Australia.

Chanderpaul, the 26-year-old son of legendary Windies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, was called into the team earlier this month and widely expected to get his first cap when the series gets under way in one week’s time.

The younger Chanderpaul is expected to become the 7th batsman to join Brathwaite in an opening partnership for the West Indies in the last five years, joining the likes of Kieran Powell, Shai Hope, Devon Smith, Jermaine Blackwood and John Campbell.

Campbell, Brathwaite’s most recent partner at the crease received a four-year ban for a whereabouts doping violation earlier this year.  Despite the fact that the duo are yet to face a ball, Brathwaite believes there is potential for the partnership to do well.

"I think the partnership will work extremely well, to be honest," Brathwaite told members of the media on Monday.

"Tage is obviously a guy that could spend a lot of time. For me, my game, there's nothing that's going to change, just focusing on being in the right positions for each ball and… I look forward to the partnership. I've seen him play first-class for a little while, and he's always impressed with the time he has spent (batting). And I really look forward to seeing us do good things together."

Chanderpaul has scored 2669 runs in first class cricket so far and has 5 100s and 10 50s.

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