Vaibhav Tripathi
New Zealand v Pakistan
In the warm-up game played between New Zealand and Pakistan in Hyderabad, the former secured a convincing five-wicket victory. Rachin Ravindra, who opened the batting for New Zealand ahead of Will Young, played a pivotal role with his impressive 97-run knock, as they chased down the massive target of 346 in just the 44th over. Incidentally, in the eight ODIs Ravindra has played so far, he has never batted higher than six.
For Pakistan, Babar Azam (80 runs) and Mohammad Rizwan (103 runs) were the mainstays of the batting unit. Saud Shakeel, the middle-order bat, also made an impact with a fine 75. Meanwhile, Mitchell Santner put on a good show with the ball, taking 2 for 39.
In the chase, Ravindra and Kane Williamson set the platform with a rollicking stand. After Williamson decided to retire, Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapmen scored impressive fifties. Chapman also provided the finishing touches by tonking Hasan Ali for a six.
South Africa v Afghanistan
Unfortunately, the other warm-up game between South Africa and Afghanistan in Thiruvananthapuram was washed out due to rain. Even the toss event couldn’t take place.