
New Zealand v England analysis: Late flurry of wickets leaves Test evenly poised
Shoaib Bashir claimed 4-69 as England persevered to peg New Zealand back in the final session on a fascinating first day of the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in Christchurch.
Five wickets in the final session helped the tourists regain a sense of control with the Black Caps 319-8 at close, writes Sports News Blitz’s Dom Harris.

Cricket news: Six talking points from the IPL auction: Pant, Bairstow and more
A whopping 574 players went under the hammer in Saudi Arabia as squads for the 2025 Indian Premier League were finalised at the Mega Auction.
In total, 12 England players were sold for a combined 70.25 crore (£6.6m) and Sports News Blitz writer Dom Harris dissects the key takeaways from the two-day event.

New Zealand vs England preview: Black Caps to test England ahead of important year
England will be looking to avoid a third successive away series defeat when taking on New Zealand in the upcoming three-Test series.
Sports New Blitz writer Dom Harris takes a look at the build-up to Wednesday’s first Test in Christchurch and predicts the England XI.