Ross Taylor smashed 74 and Jesse Ryder picked up three for four as New Zealand beat Ireland by seven wickets in their second ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match.

New Zealand completed a last-ball win as they warmed up for the ICC World Twenty20 against Bangladesh in Wormsley.

Pakistan has proposed the sub-continent delay hosting the World Cup until 2015 as the troubled nation bids to salvage its hopes of holding the tournament. The Pakistan Cricket Board wants to orchestrate a swap for the 2011 event with Australia and New Zealand, hosts of the 2015 tournament.

Derbyshire County Cricket Club will host an ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match between Ireland and New Zealand on 27th May.

New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder departed for the temptations of the Indian Premier League on Wednesday. Ryder will face a significant behavioral test when he joins the Bangalore Royal Challengers for the second edition of the transplanted Twenty20 competition.

Opener Gautam Gambhir who is now in cracking form lead the batting chart with 445 runs, while Harbhajan Singh led the bowler's chart with 16 wickets in India's first Test series triumph in New Zealand in 41 years.

Former Test star Gundappa Vishwanath, who praised the overall performance of the triumphant Indian team in New Zealand, said he was a little disappointed with Mahendra Singh Dhoni not declaring the second innings much earlier

New Zealand's selectors took a gamble on Tuesday by including injury-plagued all-rounder Jacob Oram in a 15-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup. Oram took no part in New Zealand's three-test series against India because of a variety of injuries but had been chosen in the hope he would be fit, selector Glenn Turner said.

India secured their first series victory on New Zealand soil in 41 years though rain denied them a deserving victory in the third Test here on Tuesday.

Light rain has postponed India's seemingly inevitable victory in the third and final test against New Zealand on Tuesday. New Zealand were 281 for eight, chasing an improbable 617 to win, in their second innings when a light rain shower passed over the Basin Reserve, forcing the players off 30 minutes after lunch.