A patient half-century from opener Kraigg Brathwaite pushed the West Indies to a burgeoning score of 169 for two - in reply to New Zealand's 293 all out - on a rain-affected day two of the third and final Test at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Friday.
Spinner Sulieman Benn delivered a telling five-wicket haul, as the West Indies assumed command on day one of the third and final Test against New Zealand at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Thursday.
The third and deciding Test between the West Indies and New Zealand takes place in Barbados at the Kensington Oval, with the Windies coming into the game on the back of a 10-wicket win in Trinidad which levelled the series.
Captain Alastair Cook's wretched stretch of form continued - and largely characterised England's abysmal performance - as Sri Lanka neared a historic victory on day four of the second and final Test at Headingley in Leeds on Monday.
Batsman Moeen Ali cemented a berth in the Test XI for the foreseeable future on the back of a very patient century, but was unable to force a late draw on day five of the second and final Test at Headingley in Leeds on Tuesday.
A couple of key breakthroughs from spinner Moeen Ali afforded England the edge, but batsman Mahela Jayawardene's characteristic resistance kept Sri Lanka in the hunt - on day three of the second and final Test at Headingley in Leeds on Sunday.
England held a lead of 63 runs at stumps on day two of the second Test against Sri Lanka, though a late flurry of wickets left them with just four batsmen in hand, on 320 for six at Headingley.
West Indies opener Chris Gayle wasted no time when finally allowed onto the field after rain, and smashed 80 of the 93 runs required to give the Windies a 10-wicket win over New Zealand in the second Test.
England were on top after day one of the second Test at Headingley, sitting on 36 without loss after bowling Sri Lanka out for 257, with Liam Plunkett and Stuart Broad the chief destroyers.
The first Test ebbed and flowed - and proved boring in parts - for the bulk of five days at Lord's, before a cliffhanger final session foreshadowed what will be an intriguing piece in Leeds.
And so, after months of short format cricket, the hallowed halls of Lord's will once again be home to a five-day match, as England take on Sri Lanka in the first of two Tests, to kick off the northern summer.
The West Indies are still very much in control of the Port of Spain Test but New Zealand's reply to conceding a 239-run first innings lead has started strongly and the visitors made stumps on day three on 73 for one, 166 runs behind.
The West Indies have the second Test by the scruff of the neck as they lost only four wickets on day two at Queen's Park Oval and made it to stumps on 310 for five with a first-innings lead of 89 runs.
The West Indies bounced back well from an embarrassing defeat in the first Test as some inspired bowling after lunch saw New Zealand collapse from 120/1 to 221 all out in front of a crowd of no more than 1000 spectators at the Queen's Park Oval.
The first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Lord's ended in thrilling circumstances, as England needed two wickets off the final over to win, got one of them, thought they got the second before DRS intervened, and a draw was the result.
The highlight of day three at Lord's was Sri Lanka veteran Kumar Sangakkara's maiden century at the Home of Cricket, though three late wickets saw the visitors reach stumps on 415 for seven, still 160 runs behind.
Though two of the last three games here ended in draws, it's actually a result venue, often by fairly heavy margins. Teams tend to bat first, to make use of the early pace before it fades and the spin kicks in.
Sri Lanka climbed to a promising score of 140 for one in response to England's hefty 575 for nine declared, largely facilitated by batsman Joe Root's outstanding double-century, on day two of the first Test at Lord's in London on Friday.
England made a sterling recovery from their initially wobbly state on day one at Lord's, recovering to reach stumps against Sri Lanka on 344 for five, with centurion Joe Root unbeaten at the close.
The continued combination of self-destruction by the West-Indies and hard work from a determined New Zealand outfit has handed first blood in this three-Test series to the visitors in Jamaica.
New Zealand began their second innings late in the evening session of the third day at Sabina Park and lead by 260 with eight wickets in hand at stumps.
The pitch is playing rather quicker these days by all accounts and offering assistance for everyone rather than just fancy-dan batsmen looking to get their name on the dangerously overcrowded Lord's honours board.
All-rounder Jimmy Neesham became the first New Zealander to score centuries in his first two Test matches to put the visitors in a commanding position after two days of the first Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Monday.
