Steve Smith has given his New Zealand rival Brendon McCullum a verbal slap and promised no holding back.

After months of deliberation following Australia's batting calamity in the Ashes, Smith will move to No4 to make room for Usman Khawaja.

After a disrupted build-up, due to the sub-standard pitch at Blacktown in Sydney, New Zealand will likely face a Brisbane wicket with customary bounce and carry.

The test cricket series between the countries, like tomorrow's Rugby World Cup final, has its possible game-breaker matchups.

Nathan McCullum is set to retire from international cricket at the end of the summer.

A pitch more like the Apollo XI mission caused the three-day warm-up against a Cricket Australia XI to be called off early.

New Zealand should not have been surprised by the state of the pitch for their pre-first test warmup match which began in Sydney yesterday.

Kiwis have a day to forget against a Cricket Australia XI in Sydney, with Aaron Finch scoring a double century.

Forget the rumblings from the other side of the Tasman over the suitability of the pink ball - ticket sales for the third test in Adelaide are rocketing.

An emotional Chris Cairns told police he was being "f***ed over" by the match-fixing accusations made by Lou Vincent and his wife.

Former cricketer tells court close friend of Chris Cairns openly made the claim at event before defamation trial.

Former Black Cap Chris Harris remembers an "unusual" expression on the face of Chris Cairns when his team won, a London court heard overnight.

A remarkable fourth innings run chase has earned Wellington an outright victory over Central Districts in the Plunket Shield today.

Aussies say it's not too late to abort the looming test against the Black Caps due to concerns about the pink ball.

Auckland increased their lead at the top of the Plunket Shield standings after completing a three-wicket victory over Northern Districts yesterday.

Mission accomplished for New Zealand's batsmen in the second Australian tour match in Canberra yesterday.

After NZ co-hosted the Cricket World Cup there has been an unprecedented boost in junior numbers this season.

The Cricket Australia XI dominated the opening day of the two-day match against NZ in Canberra, moving to 325 for four at stumps on a flat wicket.

With his testimony in Chris Cairns' London High Court perjury trial behind him, the stage is set for Brendon McCullum to seal his leadership legacy.

A record Central Districts 10th-wicket partnership of 134 between George Worker and Andrew Mathieson dominated the second day of Plunket Shield's second round yesterday.