Kiwis win warm up match

CHANDIGARH, May 7: The warm up match between New Zealand and the Chandigarh Administration XI was played in a spirit of joie de vivre and w...

CHANDIGARH, May 7: The warm up match between New Zealand and the Chandigarh Administration XI was played in a spirit of joie de vivre and was devoid of the tension generally associated with a one day encounter. The word warm-up is a misnomer and an exhibition match would be a better way to put it. To begin with, New Zealand traded four of their players with the Chandigarh team. Shayne O8217;Connor, Daniel Vettori, Andrew Penn and McMillan played for the Chandigarh XI. New Zealand won the toss or was it an understanding but they batted first. Bryan Young and Nathan Astle opened and both fell cheaply. Skipper Stephen Fleming, who came in two-down, too perished soon. But later on he returned for a second knock, which amply demonstrates the bonhomie between the two sides, and remained unbeaten on 21.

Chris Cairns was in ominous form as he belted 61 runs from only 67 balls, inclusive of 7 fours and a six. He was particularly severe on Vettori, against whom he employed the sweep to good effect. Matt Horne also batted well for his 38 and the New Zealand side finished with 181 for 9 in 40 overs. Bharati Vij claimed 4 wickets for 24 runs and Andrew Penn finished with 3 for 36. Shayne O8217;Connor grabbed one wicket conceding 35 runs.

Dinesh Mongia and Ajay Mehra opened for Chandigarh XI and the two put on 79 runs for the first wicket. Left-handed Mongia made an elegant 52 and McMillan scored 54. Towards the end Manish Arora used the long handle and struck 31 runs but the Chandigarh team fell short by two runs. Off-spinner Dipak Patel picked up 2 wickets for 41 runs and newcomer Heath Davis was quite quick .

Brief Scores: New Zealand 181-9 in 40 overs Nathan Astle 14, Matt Horne 38, Chris Cairns 61, Adam Parore 14, Bharati Vij 4-24, Andrew Penn 3-36, O8217;Conner 1-35 bt Chandigarh XI 179-7 in 40 overs Ajay Mehra 24, Dinesh Mongia 52, McMillan 54, Manish Arora 31; Heath Davis 1-39, Dipak Patel 2-41.