The second and final Twenty20 International between England and New Zealand at The Oval was abandoned due to rain after just two balls were bowled. In those two balls before the rain set in, Michael Lumb was brilliantly caught by Brendon McCullum off Mitchell McClenaghan but no further play handed New Zealand a 1-0 series win.
The battle for this week's Cricket World Player of the Week award is a close run one. Any one of six players could win the award, but it is the under-rated Ian Bell who takes it.
Bell hit two unglamorous half-centuries for England last week - both of which led to wins and helped them get back on track after a poor showing in the first part of the ODI series against New Zealand.
The first balls of the final two overs both went for six but England ended narrowly short in a 20-over run chase for the second time in three days as New Zealand won a high-scoring thriller at The Oval. Set an imposing 202 for victory after a boundary barrage from Brendon McCullum and Hamish Rutherford, England began well but looked to be slipping behind around the time of their captain Eoin Morgan's dismissal in the 14th over.
New Zealand warmed up for their two-match Twenty20 International series with England by comfortably beating Kent by 42 runs at Canterbury.
Batting first, half-centuries from Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor helped them post 185 for seven, a score that proved well beyond Kent, who closed on 143 for seven.
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori will miss the two Twenty20 Internationals against England after undergoing surgery on his troublesome left Achilles. Along with Grant Elliott and Tim Southee who picked up injuries during the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, he misses out on the pair of games at The Oval on 25th and 27th June.
Kevin Pietersen is poised to make his England comeback following a long period on the sidelines due to injury after being named in a 14-man squad to play two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand.
Pietersen, who has not featured for England since March due to a knee injury, will only be available for the second match, on 27th June at The Oval, provided he gets through Surrey's LV County Championship game against Yorkshire, which starts tomorrow (21st June).
A brilliant innings from Jos Buttler late on in the England innings helped them avoid a series whitewash against New Zealand at Trent Bridge.
England had been going nowhere at the halfway point in their innings at 97 for two and had only 211 with just four overs to go. However, Eoin Morgan and, in particular, Buttler launched an assault of ferocious proportions. They plundered 76 runs from the final four overs and finished up on 287 for six with Buttler unbeaten on 49 off just 16 balls.
Martin Guptill is a shoo-in for this week's Cricket World Player of the Week award. The 26 year-old from Auckland hit back-to-back match-winning hundreds in the opening two One-Day Internationals against England and has almost single-handedly thrown their ICC Champions Trophy plans into disarray.
Martin Guptill played one of the great One-Day International innings as New Zealand emphatically beat England by 86 runs to move into an unassailable 2-0 series lead at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
Guptill's 189 not out in 155 balls laid the foundations for New Zealand to post 359 for three and although Jonathan Trott struck a 98-ball century in reply, England fell well short, bowled out for 273 in 44.1 overs.
A Martin Guptill century helped New Zealand recover from the loss of two wickets in the first over of their run chase to overhaul England's modest total of 227 for nine with more than three overs to spare at Lord's.
England had been poor with the bat as Mitchell McClenaghan and Kyle Mills bowled tidy opening spells before Tim Southee removed both openers, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, in quick succession.
England have responded to losing senior pace bowlers Stuart Broad and Steven Finn to injury by calling up Irish-capped Warwickshire quick man Boyd Rankin.
Broad and Finn will miss the second One-Day International with knee and shin injuries while Tim Bresnan may miss part of the series as his wife is expected to give birth in the next week.
England fast bowlers Stuart Broad and Steven Finn have been ruled out of the first two One-Day Internationals against New Zealand with knee and shin injuries respectively.
Broad bruised his right knee during the second Test against New Zealand at Headingley while Finn suffered shin soreness and both players will be reassessed next week with a view to being available for the third and final match at Trent Bridge on 5th June.
New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult has been ruled out of the One-Day International series with England and the ICC Champions Trophy with a torn side muscle.
He picked up the injury during England's 247-run victory in the second and final Test and has been replaced in New Zealand's squad by Ian Butler.
The battle for this week's Cricket World Player of the Week award is a close contest between four men. Kamran Akmal and Kevin O'Brien both played starring roles in the highly entertaining ODI series in Clontarf, while Graeme Swann and Joe Root excelled during the rain-hit second Test at Headingley.
Sir Ian Botham, former England captain and the hero of England's 1981 Ashes victory over Australia, says England were 'magnificent' during their 170-run victory over New Zealand at Lord's in the first cricket Test of the summer.
James Anderson took his 300th Test wicket and Stuart Broad took seven wickets as New Zealand were bowled out for 68 and Botham was speaking at an event launching Unibet's summer of sport at the home of cricket.
Try and beat with bookies with our stats update on the second Test Match at Headingley. England convincingly won the opening Test by 170 runs at Lord's, but can they repeat the trick in Leeds?
There can be only two possible contenders for this week's Cricket World Player of the Week award and it is virtually impossible to separate them. Stuart Broad took the man of the match award at Lord's for leading the second innings demolition of New Zealand, but without James Anderson's first innings five-fer there might not have been much of a run chase for the Black Caps on day four.
A round-up of the weekend's action including Stuart Broad's inspirational spell at Lord's to hand England a 170-run victory over New Zealand, Aaron Finch and Luke Wright in the runs for Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad beating Kolkata Knight Riders to reach the IPL play-offs and a washout in Edinburgh.
New Zealand all-rounder Andrew Ellis has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 with a broken rib, suffered in training in Christchurch.
The 31-year-old picked up the injury during preparations for the three-match One-Day International series in England which precedes the Champions Trophy.
Try and beat the bookies with the following stats and facts to assist you when you place your bet.
bet365 make England 8/11 favourites to win the game with the draw available at 6/4 and New Zealand 11/1 outsiders - but read on for the stats...
England and Middlesex fast bowler Steven Finn is looking forward to the 2013 season, which is a massive one for England with the visit of New Zealand, Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy ahead of them.
And Finn, who will be hoping to be involved in the series against New Zealand, the Champions Trophy and the Investec Ashes, is keen to get going.
View all articles in England.
