New Delhi: Contrasting centuries from opener Kaustubh Pawar and Suryakumar Yadav helped Mumbai build a 107-run first innings lead against the New Zealanders on the second day of the warm-up match in New Delhi Saturday.
Mumbai, who started on their overnight score of 29 for one, were 431 for five at stumps in reply the visitors’ first innings total of 324 for seven declared.
Overnight batsman Pawar retired after scoring a dogged 100 while Yadav struck an 86-ball 103 to help Mumbai maintain a run-rate of more than four runs an over.
Mumbai captain Aditya Tare on 53 and Siddhesh Lad on 86 were at the crease, the duo putting on an unbeaten 137-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
New Zealand bowlers struggled on a batting friendly Feroz Shah Kotla pitch as Kiwi leg-spinner Ish Sodhi stood out with his two wickets.
Earlier the visiting batsmen also got some crucial batting practice on the opening day with skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham registering half-centuries.
The two sides have 15 members each, with only 11 allowed to bat and field in the only warm-up tie before the first match starting September 22 in Kanpur.
New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the three-match test series in India with an ankle injury and will be replaced by paceman Matt Henry.
Southee felt pain in his front foot while bowling in training and a scan had shown a ligament strain in his left ankle, New Zealand’s cricket board said.
The 27-year-old, New Zealand’s most experienced test bowler with 52 matches and 177 wickets, will return home for rest and rehab but was expected to be available for the one-day internationals starting mid-October.
“Tim has been working hard in preparation for this tour, so he’s understandably very disappointed to be ruled out of all three tests,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said.
“The focus now is for Tim to give his ankle seven to 10 days rest, before slowly building his bowling loads back up ahead of the ODI series.
“We’ve got a replacement who is ready to go in Matt Henry and he’ll join the team before the start of the first test.”
The 24-year-old Henry has played just three more tests since his debut against England at Lord’s last year, his last match against Australia in Christchurch in February.
The series opener starts in Kanpur on September 22 before further matches in Kolkata and Indore.
