New Zealand will enter the World Cup feeling optimistic of finally winning it after four and half decades of trying.
Neesham replaced Doug Bracewell in the team while leg-spinner Ish Sodhi made way for Astle.
While both Taylor and Latham were unable to see their side through to victory, Mitchell Santner, who scored just two from his first nine deliveries then scored another 43 from the next 18, won the game with his fourth six and finished on 45 not out.
An unwell Trent Boult skipped the New Zealand cricket team's training session at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Monday, staying away from the squad as a precautionary measure. The left-arm pacer is among eight players including Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, who are attending the first half of the camp that started on Sunday.
Martin Guptill hit his second Test century to put New Zealand in firm control of their one-off Test against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday.
South Africa will need their bowlers to step up to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Images from Sunday's action in the Premier League.
'Chinese real GDP growth is 7.1% and India's is 7.4%'.
Russian Daniil Medvedev's 2022 season opened with a stunning defeat at the hands of Frenchman Ugo Humbert after a three-hour dogfight in a steamy Ken Rosewall Arena at the ATP Cup on Sunday.
Fast bowler Tim Southee will lead the Black Caps in the five matches against England starting in Christchurch on November 1.
A private funeral service was held for Warne's closest friends and family in Melbourne last week but all were invited to Wednesday's televised memorial where his father Keith mourned the loss of "a loving and caring son" and his former team mates remembered a fierce and mischievous competitor.
IMAGES from Day 5 of the French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Thursday.
Kane Williamson's career has many more years left to run but the New Zealand captain reached the first of many milestones predicted of him since his breakthrough as a teenager with a routine shot in the first Test against England on Friday.
Serena Williams faces her first seeded opponent at the French Open on Thursday and will hope to use her booming serve to beat Australian Ashleigh Barty in the second round.
Holder Stefanos Tsitsipas moved into the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals with a 7-5, 7-6(1) victory over Laslo Djere on Thursday while fourth seed Casper Ruud was knocked out in straight sets by Grigor Dimitrov.
Eyeing a historic bilateral One-Day International cricket series win in India, New Zealand senior batsman Ross Taylor said the Kiwis are hungry for victory.
Seeds David Ferrer, Taylor Dent and Fernando Verdasco suffered surprise first-round defeats at the Stockholm Open on Monday.
Martin Guptill underlined his importance to the New Zealand one-day side with a blistering match-winning century as he guided his side to a seven-wicket victory over South Africa in their fourth one-day international in Hamilton on Wednesday.
Martin Guptill has been recalled to the New Zealand Test squad for the two-match tour of England after the top-order batsman finished top scorer at the recent 50-over cricket World Cup.
Kuldeep Yadav picked up four wickets, while Shikhar Dhawan hit an unbeaten half-century to power India to a crushing eight-wicket victory against New Zealand in the first ODI.
With the three-match T20I series ahead and also the World Cup round the corner, India will have to address this weakness to ensure that their much-vaunted batting doesn't crumble on an odd day when the condition aids swing bowling in England.
James Vince's knock of 59 runs enabled England to defeat New Zealand by seven wickets
New Zealand held their nerve under the floodlights to beat Bangladesh by two wickets in a dramatic low-scoring Cricket World Cup match at The Oval on Wednesday.
Hardly challenged in a dominating run this season, India once again start as overwhelming favourites when they take on an inconsistent-but-gritty New Zealand in a three-match One-Day International series, starting in Mumbai, on Sunday.
New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill has been dropped for the Test series against Pakistan and the uncapped Jeet Raval is poised to make his debut.
Jasprit Bumrah produced a master-class in limited-overs bowling to lead India to a seven-run victory over New Zealand in their fifth Twenty20 international. Images from the fifth T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
Carlos Brathwaite struck a brilliant century but West Indies still lost to New Zealand by five runs in a thrilling finish, in the World Cup match, in Manchester, on Saturday.
Pakistan will not only have to win the remaining three matches, starting with New Zealand, but also hope that the results in other matches favour them to salvage any hopes of a semi-final berth.
New Zealand survived Ravindra Jadeja's late onslaught to stun India by 18 runs in a low-scoring thriller on Wednesday and reach the ICC World Cup final for the second time in a row.
New Zealand's bowlers steadily chipped away at the West Indies lineup to record a ruthless 240-run victory shortly before tea on the fourth day of the second Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday to wrap up a 2-0 series sweep.
Batsman Neil Broom has also been offered a contract after he was recalled to the national side following a lengthy absence to replace Ross Taylor while he recovered from eye surgery.
Like Slumdog Millionaire, RRR will remain a one-time phenomenon until another big, larger-than-life, Indian film connects with the critics in the West, predicts Aseem Chhabra.
Martin Guptill's fluent unbeaten 103 led New Zealand to a comfortable five-wicket victory over England in the first one-day international at Lord's on Friday.
New Zealand is all set to bring back Brendon McCullum as an opening batsman for the two-Test series against India starting on Thursday in Hyderabad.
Skipper Kane Williamson's brilliant 97 and Matt Henry's maiden five-wicket haul gave New Zealand a comprehensive 68-run victory over Pakistan in the final one-dayer in Abu Dhabi on Friday. New Zealand won the series 3-2.
Fast bowler Trent Boult picked up five wickets as New Zealand hammered India by eight wickets in the fourth One-Day International.
A resurgent New Zealand beat England by 13 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis method in a high-scoring second One-day international, marred by a late rain interruption, at The Oval on Friday to level the five-match series at 1-1.
Images from the third day's play of the second Test between India and New Zealand being played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore
Trent Boult produced an economical spell of bowling to take three wickets and help New Zealand to a tense three-run win over Sri Lanka in their first Twenty20 international on Thursday.
Srinivas Bhogle and Purnendu Maji list the Most Valuable Players of the India-New Zealand ODI series.
