England's batsmen often provide the truffles of one-day international cricket; their form can be hard to find but, upon discovery and application, they are capable of transforming any bland recipe of a match with potent innings.
For someone who is more comfortable dancing down the wicket and smashing the ball over extra cover, Brendon McCullum can sure play a straight bat.
As Ross Dykes nears the end of his innings with Otago cricket, the soon-to-be-retired chief executive is lapping up the World Cup without the usual responsibility of playing host.
Paul Stirling and Ed Joyce came agonisingly close to centuries but still helped Ireland cause the first upset of the 2015 cricket World Cup with a four-wicket victory over West Indies at Saxton Oval in Nelson today.
If you want to judge the mood of a cricket team, talk to the wicketkeeper.
On a tide of national goodwill, Brendon McCullum delivered the catalyst for New Zealand's victory against Sri Lanka at Hagley Park yesterday.
The New Zealand cricket team have had a largely seamless World Cup build-up. Andrew Alderson inspects the finished product for pressure points with the tournament starting this morning.
Three days before Australia's World Cup opener against England, coach Darren Lehmann noted that the teams who fielded the best had invariably claimed the trophy in past tournaments.
When is it too early to rule out a subcontinental team winning this World Cup?
Battered England captain Eoin Morgan has paid New Zealand a big compliment ahead of their clash in Wellington on Friday.
A punter has bet $10,000 that the Black Caps will come away with the trophy for the Cricket World Cup, the biggest bet ever made on the Black Caps.
Former test opener turned commentator Craig Cumming believes one of the biggest challenges for the Black Caps will be dealing with the hype.
Sri Lanka have the capability to go all the way to the World Cup final, but don't expect them to get there without a hiccup along the way.
David Miller and JP Duminy rescued South Africa from potential embarrassment with a world record 256-run partnership as they posted an imposing 339 for four against Zimbabwe in their opening World Cup clash at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
It took only one match for several holes to be poked in South Africa's case for winning the Cricket World Cup.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson is tipping upsets during the World Cup - and that is part of the reason he bristled slightly at a description of tomorrow's opponent, Scotland.
The World Cup formula now seems pretty obvious: bat first, score loads, strangle the chasing team, bag the points.
New Zealand are under way at the Cricket World Cup, convincingly beating Sri Lanka by 97 runs at Hagley Oval today.
Let the cricket begin.
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 got off with a bang in Christchurch last night as a colourful crowd in the tens of thousands packed in to North Hagley Park to witness a spectacular opening ceremony.
