The Kiwis ought to have won by a bigger margin but for the 64-run stand for the ninth wicket between Dhawal Kulkarni (24) and Jaydev Unadkat (44, 24b, 5x4, 3x6).
New Zealand had a near perfect practice match here on Thursday before heading into the serious part of their tour of three ODIs and as many T20Is starting at the Wankhede on Sunday.
They ticked all their boxes, in the batting, bowling and fielding departments, that they defended a total of 343/9 to win by 33 runs against the Board President’s XI at the Cricket Club of India. The Kiwis ought to have won by a bigger margin but for the 64-run stand for the ninth wicket between Dhawal Kulkarni (24) and Jaydev Unadkat (44, 24b, 5x4, 3x6).
Batting first, the Kiwis went on the offensive from the start. That was what openers Martin Guptill and his new partner Colin Munro are expected to do against Virat Kohli and Co in the internationals. Guptill and Munro have never batted together in an ODI except once when they got together to share 45 for the fifth wicket against Australia in Sydney last December.
In fact, Munro has never batted higher than No. 4 in ODIs. Largely a No. 5-7 batsman, Munro is being promoted to the new position with the licence to go after the bowling. He dealt in fours in his 23-ball 26 against the new ball duo of Jaydev Unadkat and Dhawal Kulkarni.
Munro did not contain his attacking instincts, pulling Unadkat too early into the hands of mid-on, ending a 46-run opening stand in 7.5 overs.
That New Zealanders struggle against spin was in display again when Guptill, who was slow by his standards in making 32 in 46 balls and was dropped by Shahbaz Nadeem off his own bowling, was removed by leg-spinner Karn Sharma in his first over, caught and bowled. Kane Williamson was bowled by Sharma, beaten in the defence as New Zealand reached 73/3 in 16th over.
This was when Ross Taylor and Tom Latham joined hands, taking the score to 239 in the 38th over before the former retired soon after reaching his century – 102 (83b, 14x1, 1x6). Taylor attacked freely while Latham was quiet to start with.
It is a new position that Latham will have to get used to as he is being pushed out of his opening role, which he did so efficiently in the ODI series in India last year, averaging 61.00 while amassing 244 runs in five matches.
Latham helped himself to a century – 108 (97b, 7x4, 2x6) – before retiring. Latham is to fill in the wicketkeeper’s position left vacant after the retirement of Luke Ronchi after ICC Champions Trophy.
New Zealand bowlers – 11 of them rolled their arms over – were more disciplined on the day than two days ago. For starters, they did not have to bowl to KL Rahul, who was left out of this game. The talented teenager Prithvi Shaw began well with three top-class fours, a back-foot cover drive off Tim Southee, a straight drive off Trent Boult and through cover-point off Colin de Grandhomme – before being bowled by Mitchell Santner in the first over of spin.
Karun Nair scored 53 (54b, 7x4) and later Gurkeerat Singh Mann followed suit before holing out to mid-on for 65 (46b, 7x4, 3x6) but BP XI were never in the hunt to chase a tall target.
Captain Iyer threw away another opportunity to impress the selectors by lofting Colin Munro to deep mid-wicket for 24.
Brief scores: New Zealand 343/9 in 50 overs (M Guptill 32, C Munro 26, R Taylor 102 retd out, T Latham 108 retd out, M Santner 20*; J Unadkat 4/57, K Sharma 2/45) bt Board President’s XI 310 in 47.1 overs (K Nair 53, GS Mann 65, J Unadkat 44; T Southee 2/22, M Santner 3/44, C Munro 2/25)
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