Some of the Black Caps' new faces have made a strong case for selection for the first Test against England next week, following the opening day of an intra-squad match in Southampton overnight.
Devon Conway backed up his impressive debut summer with an unbeaten 55 opening the batting alongside Tom Latham, fueling speculation the pair will be walking out to bat together at Lord's next week.
Returning allrounders Colin de Grandhomme and Doug Bracewell also struck fifties as the Latham XI finished the day 289/6.
Pace duo Tim Southee (two for 25) and Neil Wagner (two for 18) were the pick of the bowlers for the Williamson XI, while young allrounder Rachin Ravindra also put forward his case for selection, taking two for 39 from his 10 overs.
Conway, who looks set to make his Test debut at Lord's, said the match was a good opportunity to "get the competitive juices flowing".
"It was a good challenge. I knew it was always going to be a good challenge trying to take Southee on...There was great control, lots of swing, so it was good preparation."
Likewise, he said it was a valuable experience to bat with Latham ahead of his expected debut at the top of the order.
"It was a good opportunity to bat with him out in the middle...Luckily, we're both left handers so I was able to pick up a couple of things that he was doing," Conway said.
"It was pretty cool. We spent some time out there, built a decent partnership together and got to know what it was like batting with a captain."
The two-day game will resume tonight, with Will Young and Rachin Ravindra set to open the batting for the Williamson XI, pushing their case for selection as they come up against the likes of Bracewell, Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry.
SHARE ME