Former captain Kane Williamson, batsman Tom Blundell and quick Kyle Jamieson, who all have hamstring issues, were selected despite doubts over their fitness.
'So there was some good fight there and they got some rewards late in the day. So yeah, I think both teams will be pleased with their efforts.'
A clinical Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) thrashed a completely disoriented Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by eight wickets in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Chennai on Friday.
Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson hit fifties as New Zealand thrashed Pakistan by 46 runs in the first T20 International.
'That's a standard we want to keep going with for the rest of tournament.'
Pakistan's weakened pace attack in the absence of injured Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, didn't offer a challenge to Conway and Latham with the new ball as both batters took New Zealand to 41-0 by tea before adding 124 more runs in the final session.
New Zealand face England-beaters Afghanistan aiming to keep their unbeaten run intact
Former player Ian Smith questioned New Zealand's preparations for the T20 World Cup.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Four years ago he watched the World Cup final in a Bengaluru pub. On Thursday, Rachin Ravindra scored a 100 in the World Cup 2023 opening game.
Play on day three of the first Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's in London was abandoned due to rain on Friday without a ball being bowled.
Devon Conway's struck 63 to help the hosts score 173/7 in their 20 overs.
IMAGES from the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday
Trent Boult was named in the New Zealand squad for part of the upcoming Twenty20 series against Australia on Wednesday, indicating that the veteran fast bowler is still in the frame for the World Cup in June.
New Zealand had to play out of their skin but a top order meltdown has left them on the brink of defeat
New Zealand's campaign has hit a disheartening flatline after their early domination and the Kiwis will have to rediscover their bowling mojo for a World Cup reboot when they face knocked-out Sri Lanka in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Both teams head into their IPL game on Sunday on the back of defeats in their previous matches. While CSK fell short by 32 runs against Rajasthan Royals, PBKS lost to Lucknow Super Giants by 56 runs.
Images from the T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and New Zealand, in Abu Dhabi, on Sunday.
England finally faced some resistance from New Zealand in the shape of Tom Blundell's defiant century but dismissed the Black Caps for 259 to wrap up a thumping 323-run victory on the third day of the second Test on Sunday.
India were in danger of suffering their first home test loss to New Zealand since 1988, despite Sarfaraz Khan's 150 and Rishabh Pant's 99, when the tourists bowled them out for 462 on the fourth day of their rain-interrupted series opener on Saturday.
Bangladesh looked to be closing in on a shock victory over world Test champions New Zealand after Ebadot Hossain's three-wicket burst in the final session of the fourth day reduced the hosts to 147-5 in the opening Test.
Harry Brook continued his remarkable form in New Zealand with a second century of the series to drive England to 280 before the tourists reduced the Black Caps to 86 for 5 at the close of play on Friday, the first day of the second Test.
In a relief to CSK, Stokes, who was suffering from a toe injury and missed three IPL matches, took part in the net practice on Wednesday
Chennai Super Kings will look to step up the pace in the middle overs and hope their inspirational skipper M S Dhoni takes the field despite a knee niggle against fierce rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eagerly awaited Southern derby in the IPL, in Bengaluru, on Monday.
'The skipper is 100 per cent playing. I don't know about any other development'
Rohit Sharma will be looking to get his act together as batter and skipper when his star-studded Mumbai Indians take on an astute Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in what could be safely billed as a Saturday night IPL blockbuster.
India captain Virat Kohli retained his fifth spot, while teammates Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant were joint sixth in the latest ICC Test rankings for batsmen.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be hoping for a memorable farewell but he faces a major roadblock in the form of Gujarat Titans' run machine Shubman Gill.
Successful in keeping opponents and vitriol at bay so far, India will have to rise above traditional bugbear New Zealand and a rigmarole of emotions surrounding stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to reclaim the Champions Trophy after 12 years in Dubai on Sunday.
Chennai Super Kings suffered due to a dubious on-field umpiring call after a short-circuit at the Wankhede Stadium
Chennai Super Kings suffered due to a dubious on-field umpiring call after a short-circuit at the Wankhede Stadium
IMAGES from the Indian Premier League match played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru on Monday.
New Zealand pace duo of Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson are set to return for Monday's World Cup match against the Netherlands but regular skipper Kane Williamson will continue to sit out, head coach Gary Stead said on Sunday.
Afghanistan coach Trott fumes over poor outfield at HPCA stadium.
Bangladesh scored 245 for nine against New Zealand in their ICC Men's ODI World Cup match in Chennai on Friday.
New Zealand will firmly bank on their potent batting line-up to ward off Bangladesh's capable spin attack on a slow Chepauk pitch on Friday.
Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming addressed succession plans for MS Dhoni's captaincy, revealing that they had plans in place for about 10 years.
Images from Day 1 of the third Test between England and New Zealand at Headingley on Thursday, June 23, 2022.
Ruturaj Gaikwad is once again winning hearts of CSK fans with his delicious shot making and Moeen Ali has come good once again to take his team to victory.
In 16 matches (15 innings) against CSK, he has amassed 630 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 142.85, including six fifties.
