Wellington (New Zealand), Mar. 5 : It has taken four years of toil and reinvention for New Zealand fast bowler Ian Butler to make a comeback to the national squad.

When Butler had the Australian all rounder Shane Watson caught behind by Brendon McCullum under the roof at Melbourne''s Docklands Stadium in December 2004, he never imagined there would be a hiatus of over four years before the New Zealand wicketkeeper helped provide the reconstituted seam bowler with his next one-day international wicket.

Wellington, Mar 5: New Zealand vice captain Brendon McCullum is in doubt for the second one dayer against India, starting on Friday.

The Black Caps wicketkeeper and key batsman has injured his right thumb during the series opener in Napier on Tuesday night.

McCullum badly bruised right thumb when he gloved a ball from medium pacer Grant Elliott at McLean Park.

He had previously broken the thumb.

McCullum will bat in the nets today, but will not keep wickets. Northern Districts wicketkeeper Pater McGlashan will replace him behind the stumps.

Wellington  - Renowned New Zealand opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa is credited with keeping a busy city square free of teenage vandals, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

Teens do not linger in the centre of Waitakere City because they find the recordings of Dame Kiri's arias and other classics beamed over loudspeakers "so bloody hideous," mayor Bob Harvey told the New Zealand Herald.

He said the effect of classical music on teenagers was like older people "being locked up in a room with hip hop - it would be enough to drive you crazy."

Wellington, Mar. 4 : New Zealand Cricket CEO Justin Vaughan has had a change of heart about the team touring Pakistan in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers.

According to stuff. co. nz, the New Zealand cricket board is yet to take a final decision on the proposed tour to Pakistan later this year, he said today, hours after telling Radio New Zealand that: "We are not going."

Wellington  - The New Zeal

Wellington  - A 17-year-old Korean student was ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination when he appeared in court Wednesday charged with stabbing a teacher during a class at an Auckland college, news reports said.

A judge in the Auckland District Court remanded Tae Won Chung in custody until March 18 on a charge of wounding Japanese language teacher David Warren, 49, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, on Tuesday.