Shane Bond retired from Test cricket

New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond has announced his retirement from Test cricket due to a recurring battle with injury. He will continue to represent his country in one-dayers and Twenty20s. Bond, 34, revived his international career earlier this year after quitting the unofficial Indian Cricket League. He made a comeback to the limited-overs side during the tour of Sri Lanka, before working his way back to the Test squad.

Following a match-winning performance in the first Test against Pakistan in Dunedin, he was forced to withdraw from the two remaining games after tearing an abdominal muscle. The injury setback - the latest in a career punctuated by back, feet and soft tissue problems - left him disappointed, prompting him to reassess his future as a Test player.

"The hardest thing is that I've always considered myself a Test bowler - and it was such a great feeling to be back in the team last month and playing Test match cricket with the Blackcaps," Bond said.

"I've worked really hard to get back to Test match fitness - it's what I've been working towards for the past two years - and I feel I gave as much as I could. But looking back, so many of my injuries have come during Test cricket. Unfortunately my body just won't let me continue to play at that level, given the workload and demands of Test cricket.

"I don't want to end on an injury and I am absolutely committed to playing for the Blackcaps. This way I hope I've got a better chance of continuing to play. I hope I'll be able to continue to contribute to the team and to New Zealand cricket fans for a while yet.

"It's been a tough call, because Test cricket remains the ultimate form of the game - but I'm comfortable I've made the right choice."

Bond said he is targeting the one-dayers against Australia starting February for his comeback. He added that he would start playing club cricket in January before representing Canterbury in one-day games the following month.

Justin Vaughan, the CEO of New Zealand Cricket, sympathised with Bond's decision.

"Shane really showed his never-say-die attitude in his comeback this season, especially in the Test Match against Pakistan - and I know how tough this decision has been for him," Vaughan said. "Of course we're disappointed that he won't be part of the Test line-up, but New Zealand Cricket supports his decision to focus on limited-overs cricket and hopes that this decision will prolong his international career.

"He remains one of the best fast bowlers in the international game and we're delighted that he's doing all he can to keep playing."

One of the fastest bowlers in world cricket since the 2000s, Bond has the distinction of being the quickest New Zealander to 50 wickets in Tests and ODIs. However, since his debut in 2001, he has managed to play only 18 Tests, taking 87 wickets, and 77 ODIs. Stress-fractures to his feet and back forced him to miss numerous games and tours, including the 2004 series in England. After a successful tour of Zimbabwe in 2005, a knee injury ruled him out for nine months. He joined the ICL in 2007, had his New Zealand Cricket contract terminated, but was readmitted to the international ranks earlier this year when the Twenty20 league offered amnesty to its players.

He ends his Test career regarded by many as New Zealand's best fast bowler since Sir Richard Hadlee.

Vettori dominates at rain-hit day

Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum punished Pakistan on a day on which only 36 overs of play were possible due to rain and bad light in Dunedin. When Vettori bunted Saeed Ajmal for a single minutes into the second session, he beat Shane Warne as the highest run-getter at No. 8. While Warne's 2005 runs came at an average of 19.09 in 91 Tests, Vettori got there in less than half the number of matches with an average of 43.86. Vettori, however, missed becoming the first No. 8 to score back-to-back Tests hundreds by one run.

The pitch seemed to have eased out on the second day, Pakistan went on the defensive too early, and Vettori and McCullum applied themselves remarkably during their 164-run seventh-wicket partnership. The seam bowlers did create a couple of chances, both against McCullum. The first was in the second over of the day when Mohammad Asif induced an outside edge that flew through third slip, a fielding position that was left vacant in order to have a deep point. McCullum had added one to his overnight 25 by then. In the 12th over, Umar Gul got a leading edge that flew over midwicket. Mohammad Aamer and Asif hit the bodies of McCullum and Vettori once each with bouncers. And that's all Pakistan had to cheer about.

All the cheer was in the New Zealand camp with their captain, statistically their best batsman in recent years, leading from the front. Vettori had trouble against the bouncer but anything loose was punished with certainty. Both versions of the cut were on view; the full-blooded one to the left of point, the late one to the right. And when Vettori received one bouncer too many, he upper-cut Aamer over slips.

While Vettori was doing what came naturally to him - good eyes, smart batting, big heart - McCullum had to continue curbing his natural attacking game. He did that just fine in the last hour on the first evening, and improved on the second morning. After that edge early in the day, he tightened his game further. He negated Asif effectively, covering all stumps, taking the lbw and bowled out of the equation by getting outside the line, and using soft hands when playing outside off. The odd over-pitched delivery was driven down the ground mercilessly.

Once Aamer and Asif were played out, with 41 runs added in 10 overs and both batsmen through to their fifties, it became more about accumulation against Saeed Ajmal and Gul. Vettori was involved in a seventh-wicket 100-run partnership for the sixth time but, just when it seemed the duo was close to inflicting irreversible damage, Gul produced - out of nowhere - a yorker in the last over before lunch to send McCullum back.

After the break, though, persistent rain sent the players in and they returned with hands in pockets deep into the final session. In the 4.5 overs possible before bad light ended play for good, Vettori drove nicely through covers, was again dropped at first slip, before missing out on a century. On 99, Vettori looked to cut a full delivery from Gul, and an edge finally went to hand, making sure Gul remained the only centurion in the match. The catcher in this case, Kamran Akmal, was the record-holder along with Vettori for most centuries for a No. 8, three.

NZ Crippled by Pak

Led by interim T20 captain Shahid Afridi, Pakistan made short work of a severely compromised New Zealand team, first piling up an impressive 160 runs and then using a varied-attack strategy to clinically remove the Kiwis for 112 for 18.3 overs. Pakistan cruised to a 49-run victory in the Cool & Cool Cup's first of two T20 matches against New Zealand, in Dubai, overcoming their ODI loss and defending their superb 20 out 26 record, in number of T20 internationals won and played till date.

New Zealand started the match with the odds strongly against them whatso many key players missing, mostly due to injuries. Their biggest blow was to sit out captain Daniel Vettori, who was ordered to undergo a CT scan after being hit on the grill of his helmet during the second one-day international in Abu Dhabi and showed signs of a concussion later. James Franklin and Kyle Mills were also on the bench, due to injuries. All-rounder Jacob Oram missed out on this match to fly home for the birth of his son. During the match, Aaron Redmond suffered a groin strain while bowling, so could not bat, leavinf the kiwis no choice but to send back out an unfit Franklin to replace him. With barely 12 fit players to choose from to flesh out the team, the Kiwis' chances were slim from the get-go, playing against world T20 champions Pakistan.

Even so, there were reasons to hope things would go NZ's way in chasing the high target of 161, atleast in the beginning. Brendon McCullum who stepped in as captain in Vettori's absence, started off with a smashing 17 runs in the first over itself, bowled by Mohammad Aamer. Aamer came back though, in the next over scalping McCullum for 19 runs, and Ross Taylor(5) in the third over. It was pretty much downhill from there on. Abdul Razzaq (2-9) then dismissed Scot Styris (4) and Neil Broom (14) before Shahid Afridi (2-21) and Saeed Ajmal (2-18) wrapped up the New Zealand's innings.

Earlier, opener Imran Nazir hit five boundaries and four towering sixes off 38 balls before New Zealand, who put Pakistan into bat, hit back by taking the last six wickets in the space of 69 runs. Nazir and Kamran Akmal (13) took Pakistan to 34 as Nazir hit two successive sixes off Ian Butler's fifth over. Nazir added a quickfire 36 with captain Afridi (24), also completing his second Twenty20 half-century off just 34 balls. Paceman Shane Bond had Nazir caught in the outfield in the 12th over to put the brakes on the innings. Abdul Razzaq's 15-ball 26 that included three boundaries and a six, gave Pakistan a final flourish to their innings.

New Zealand must reshuffle their severely compromised player strength the best way they can to take on an upbeat Pakistan once more for the second Twenty20 today, at the same venue.

Pakistan takes on NZ in T20

After losing the ODI series to New Zealand by a close margin, Pakistan have nobody but themselves to blame for not having performed consistently in all forms of the game. The Pakistan batting swung from the sublime to the pathetic during the series. Younus Khan, who went through a fair share of controversies before the start of the series, neither found form with the bat nor could he win the trust of his team mates. Ultimately, he backed out of the tour to New Zealand and Mohammed Yousuf was appointed the captain in his place. The performance of the bowlers was much better considering that they contained the Kiwi batsmen in a couple of games. It was the batters who failed to deliver when the situation demanded their presence in the middle. Having said this, the Pakistan team would want to put aside these problems and under Shahid Afridi, look to let the cricket do all the talking. Taking into consideration their recent T20 performances, Pakistan can be counted upon to deliver their best.

The Kiwis would be ecstatic after pulling off a series victory, especially after the team experienced some turbulence before the start of the series. The resignation of Andy Moles as the coach of the New Zealand team and the removal of Brendon McCullum from the position of vice-captain, saw Daniel Vettori under a lot of pressure. However, Vettori was upto the task as he shepherded his troops in a professional manner. There were a lot positives that the Kiwis could take from the three matches. McCullum's return to form would be the most welcome one as the right-hander was desperately short of runs and confidence before the start of the series. The Kiwis would also be happy with the performance of the bowlers who were consistent most of the time, never letting the Pakistan batsmen settle into a groove. However, the one thing that would concern the captain is the form of the middle order. New Zealand have got off to good starts most of the time but failed to capitalise as the middle order could not build upon these starts. The Kiwis, however, are a dedicated bunch and would play to the best of their abilities as they aim to upstage the T20 Champions.

NZ win despite stunning turnaround

Monday night's Cool & cool Cup ODI series- decider proved a full-length 50-over match can conjure up those twists and turns in the plot like no other format can. Batting first, New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, who scored a brilliant hundred on Friday, stood out once again with an aggressive 78-ball 76 which included three sixes and six fours. New Zealand were well on course for a big score but once McCullum got out, caught and bowled by Shoaib Malik, the Pakistani spinners led by Ajmal sparked a middle-order collapse to take last seven wickets for 47 runs. New Zealand had raced to 72 by the 12th over, with McCullum reaching his fifty off just 47 balls.

It was paceman Umar Gul who provided the breakthrough, removing opener Aaron Redmond caught off Aamir for 21. This was Gul's 100th wicket in 67 one-day internationals. With NZ all out for 211, the target seemed easy enough for Pakistan to chase. That's when the real twists began, and how. Pakistan's top and middle order crumbled swiftly to leave the side teetering at 101/9, leading everyone - probably even the teams themselves - to believe the match was a cinch-win for the Kiwis, with an already sparse crowd of mostly Pakistan supporters starting to empty the stadium. And then the plot twisted yet again. With only two wickets left in hand, Pakistan needed 126 runs from 26.5 overs. Then Mohammad Aamer came out to bat at number 10, and mastered a comeback that almost changed the course of the game. Almost, A scintillating performance by the 17-year old Aamer, belting out a brilliant and unbeaten 73 off 81 balls (including seven 4s and three 6s), and sharing a 103-run partnership with Saeed Ajmal, brought about a dramatic spin to the game that had everyone riveted with renewed attention, piling up just between them, half the runs in Pakistan's entire score. Remarkably shortening the gap to bring up the score to a nailbiting 204, Aamer made his maiden ODI 50, also notching up the highest score by a number 10 batsman in World one-dayers.

Unfortunately for Pakistan, it was close, but not close enough. After effortlessly knocking the Kiwi bowlers all around the Sheikh Zayed stadium much to the visibile frustration of skipper Daniel Vettori who conceded a hattrick of sixes to the cool cat Aamer, the two Pakistani tailenders' heroics succumbed to a last burst of intensity from NZ, losing their last wicket Ajmal (33), to Kyle Mills (b Jacob Oram). What Aamer's effort also did, though, was highlight the failure of his more capable team-mates. Pakistan crashed and burned from 47 for 0 to 101 for 9 with batsmen playing rash shots that betrayed a nervous and muddled mindset. No one took ownership of the chase and New Zealand kept gaining ground with disciplined bowling.Coming only 8 runs short of their target in the last over, Pakistan fell to the resolute Kiwis, conceding the match and series to New Zealand, 2-1. Pakistan won the first match by 138 runs on Tuesday before New Zealand levelled the series with a 64-run win on Friday. Continuing in the Cool & Cool Cup series, the teams now move to Dubai where they play two Twenty20 matches on November 12 and 13.

Its a McCullum show

Brendon McCullum was in full form for Friday's 2nd day-nighter in Abu Dhabi, as he smashed a terrific 131 that took the Black Caps into a 64-run victory against Pakistan, also levelling the Cool & Cool Cup series so far. Supported by Martin Guptill's 62 and a partnership of 126 runs, McCullum took off to an explosive start , with even the other scores from his side being leagues behind. A performance that was a far cry from the one they put out in Tuesday's opening match, the Kiwis came back in full throttle for the 2nd ODI, posting an imposing 303/8, then calculatedly eliminating the Pakistani batsman off the pitch.

Chasing a daunting target, Pakistan got off to a solid start of 77 with Khalid Latif (45) and Salman Butt (59) setting the tempo. Even after Latif fell leg-before to New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori in the 17th over, Pakistan were well on course.

Butt and Younus (19) added another 47 for the second wicket before Scott Styris's 3/23 within two overs crumbled Pakistan's middle-order, finally bowling the lot out for 239. Styris's scalping of Shahid Afridi for a duck was a sort of poetic justice , since the Pakistani Vice-Captain himself took the wickets of Ross Taylor and Neil Broom, both for a duck too.

Resistance from Shoaib Malik (26) and Abdul Razzaq (35) came too little and too late for the Pakistani side that was already on the brink of defeat. The fate of this 3-match ODI series will be decided when the teams face-off on Monday (Nov 9), at the same venue again.

Pak v NZ 2nd ODI overview

Expectations are sky-high, especially for the winners of the 1st ODI, Pakistan, at the Cool & Cool Cup series being played between them and New Zealand, that kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. A dramatic turnaround after their fourth wicket, and a gallant performance led by Shahid Afridi saw Pakistan win by a whopping 138 runs.

For the 2nd ODI being played now at the same venue, Pakistan brings back middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik after New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat. Malik was given a rest for the opener, and he now replaces Umer Akmal. On the Kiwi side, pacer Kyle Mills, who sat the first match out due to an injured shoulder, returns, as also Neil Broom. The two replace Ian Butler and Nathan McCullum.

Pak win by huge margin

Posters of "Boom Boom Afridi" held up by Pakistani cricket fans at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium in the team's first ODI against New Zealand for the Cool & Cool Cup, were waved even more excitedly when their hero walked out on the ground, at a stage when the Pakistani side were limping around at 70/4. Delivering on his fans' expectations, Shahid Afridi changed the course of their game at that point, knocking a crafty 71 runs off 50 balls, setting the scene for Kamran Akmal to come in and do further damage with his 43-ball 67 (four sixes, five boundaries), and Khalid Latif steadying the ship with his maiden half-century. The result was Pakistan lurching into a whopping 287/9, which New Zealand had trouble with from the get-go.

The Kiwis struggled at 50/4, and unfortunately did not have any dramatic rescue in store for them, as did Pakistan have, from Afridi and company. Chasing an imposing target, NZ began faltering from the start. Gul made short work of Martin Guptill, sending him back for 4 in the tenth over, and youngster Mohammad Aamir scalping Ross Taylor for a duck.

Aaron Redmond (52) and Daniel Vettori (38) provided the only resistance during a 69-run fifth wicket stand but after which NZ sadly crumbled again, this time, finally. After scalping Vettori, Afridi also claimed Nathan McCullum's wicket for nought on the first ball itself. Five wickets fell for 10 runs, which had the Kiwis were calling it a day, all out for 149 runs.

The victory, which gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead with two more ODIs to go in the series, was also sweet revenge for the winners who lost to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy semi-final last month. Skipper Younis Khan praised his deputy Afridi for his stellar performance and picking up the run-rate into such an incisive win. Interesting, considering all the recent speculation doing the rounds, of Afridi wanting to take over Khan's captaincy and the side being frought by divided loyalties. The New Zealand side has their own troubles to contend with, with the team being coach-less after the dismissal of Andy Moles, and the role of coach now on Daniel Vettori's shoulders, adding to his responsibilites of skipper and selector. The remaining two matches will also be played in Abu Dhabi on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9, before the two teams move to Dubai for two Twenty20 internationals on November 12 and 13.

Compaq Cup IND VS NZ

After nearly two months of well earned rest, the Indian team returns to the centre-stage again when they take on the Kiwis in the 2nd match of the tri-series at Colombo. With Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir ruled out of the tournament due to injuries, the Indian think-tank will be in a quandary to fill the opening slot. During the break, most of the Indian players did not see much action except for the last week when they turned up for the BCCI corporate trophy- which should be a cause for concern as the Indian team is not known to start off a new season well after a lengthy break. Sachin Tendulkar returns to the ODI side which gives a huge fillip to the side and the team will be looking up to him to provide the pyrotechnics at the top. Also Rahul Dravid has been recalled in the twilight of his career, considering his competence in handling the short stuff and also his wealth of experience. India should take heart from the fact that they have won the last two ODI series quite convincingly in Sri Lanka and have sufficient balance in the side to hope for an encore. With the number one ranking in ODIs a tempting object for Dhoni's boys- India need to remain unbeaten and lift the tri-series to achieve the feat- expect the Indians to go for the kill straightaway.

The Kiwis bowled quite superbly the other day against the Lankans until the brilliance of Samaraweera and the youthful exuberance of Angelo Mathews helped SL to post a decent target. With Daryl Tuffey and Shane Bond returning, the Kiwi attack looks far more potent than it has been in recent times. The batting, though, was a huge disappointment on Tuesday with the top-order failing to fire for the umpteenth time. Martin Guptill- a man with so much talent and time to play the ball has been a huge let-down unable to translate his potential into something more constructive, while big Jake Oram does not know where his next run will come from as he falters repeatedly with the bat. Surely the time seems to be running out for both of them unless they pull of something worthwhile. Friday's game is a must-win one for the Kiwis and they have to win with a bonus point just to be on the safer side, in case if all the teams are tied on points at the end of the league phase.

Team News

India suffered a huge jolt just before the tournament when prolific opening bat Gautam Gambhir was ruled out with a groin injury, Virat Kohli has been named as his replacement, but it is highly unlikely that he will play on Friday. Dinesh Karthik who shone in the Windies is expected to partner Sachin at the top while RP Singh and Praveen Kumar will fight it out for the last spot in the team.

Even though their top-order failed on Tuesday, the Kiwis are most likely to place their trust on the same batting order. The bowling line-up looks quite good and there is no reason to believe that it will be tinkered with.

Pitch and Weather conditions

The Premadasa stadium in recent times has become a graveyard for the teams batting second under lights as it becomes almost impossible to chase down a target. With such a history behind them, the toss becomes doubly vital in a big game, especially for the Kiwis. Scattered thunderstorms with a maximum of 29 degree celsius is forecast for tomorrow.

Trivia

9th Aug 2005- The last time that India lost an ODI at the Premadasa, since then they have played 11- winning 7 and the remaining games have been abandoned. 3, 25, 0, 7, 1, 4- Jacob Oram's scores in his last 6 innings in ODIs. 316- The number of runs required by Sachin Tendulkar to reach another peak- that of 17000 ODI runs.

Soundbites

Winning the toss is quite important. But if you are going to be a world class team and a champion side at that, you need to win from any situation or condition. We are not going to look at that as an excuse- Gary Kirsten spells out his agenda for Team India.People would have said we'd never be back - it just shows how hard the guys have worked- Ian Butler showers praise on Daryl Tuffey and Shane Bond for toughing it out and making a comeback to the Kiwi side.

India (From): Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w/c), Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar, Rudra Pratap Singh

New Zealand (From): Brendon McCullum(w), Jesse Ryder, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Neil Broom, Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori(c), Kyle Mills, Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Grant Elliott, Jeetan Patel, Brendon Diamanti, Gareth Hopkins, Daryl Tuffey