Rachin Ravindra and returning Kane Williamson played key knocks as New Zealand chased down 345 to thrash Pakistan by five wickets in a World Cup warm-up match on Friday.
Chasing 346 for victory, New Zealand lost an early wicket before Ravindra (97) and Williamson (54) put on 137 to put their team on course and they achieved the target with 6.2 overs to spare in Hyderabad.
Mohamed Rizwan hit 103 and Babar Azam made 80 in Pakistan’s 345-5 after electing to bat first but the Kiwi batsmen made the total look easy against an attack missing pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Williamson, who returned from a six-month lay-off due to his knee injury and played the match only as a batsman, looked impressive in his 50-ball stay before he retired out.
“It held up pretty good,” Williamson, who will miss the tournament opener against England on October 5, said about his knee after the win.
“Little bit of icing after that (knock). But that’s part of the process. Fortunate with that recovery and being named in the squad was exciting to me.”
Ravindra smashed the opposition bowlers to all parts of the ground as he hit 16 fours and one six but was denied a century by Agha Salman.
Pakistan spinner Usama Mir struck twice in the space of his two overs but Daryl Mitchell made 59 to keep the chase on track.
Left-hand batsmen Mark Chapman, who hit the winning six in his unbeaten 65, and James Neesham, who made 33, put on a partnership of 68 as New Zealand reached the target in 43.4 overs.
Earlier Azam hit eight fours and two sixes before he fell to Mitchell Santner but Rizwan stayed on to complete his century in another key stand with Saud Shakeel, who made 75.
Rizwan struck nine fours and two sixes in his 94-ball innings and said: A “hundred is hundred in any conditions. I feel proud and satisfied.”
The match, which along with other warm-ups was not an official one-day match, was played in an empty stadium due to a Hindu festival and security issues in the southern Indian city.
BRIEF SCORESPakistan 345-5 in 50 overs (M. Rizwan 103 retired out, B. Azam 80 S. Shakeel 75) v New Zealand 346-5 in 43.4overs (R. Ravindra 97, M. Chapman 65 not out, M. Santner 59 retired out, K. Williamson 54 retired out)
Result: New Zealand won by five wickets
Liton, Tanzid and Mehidy star as Bangladesh down Sri LankaLiton Das, Tanzid Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck half-centuries to guide Bangladesh to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their World Cup warmup match in Guwahati on Friday.
Chasing Sri Lanka’s 263, Bangladesh knocked off the runs with eight overs to spare to give themselves a timely booster before the tournament which gets underway next week. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first, Sri Lanka got off to a fine start with the openers adding 64 before Kusal Perera retired hurt on 34, suffering a shoulder injury.
His partner Pathum Nissanka pushed on to make 68 from 64 balls, including eight fours and six, before becoming the first of three victims for off-spinner Mahedi Hasan.
Mahedi went on to remove Sadeera Samarawickrama (2) and Charith Asalanka (18) to finish with 3-36 as the Sri Lankans began to lose momentum, slipping to 177 for five. All-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva dug in for a gritty 55 from 79 balls but the Lankans were bowled out for 263 with five balls remaining. Liton and Tanzid got Bangladesh motoring from the off as they put on 131 for the first wicket in 20 overs.
Liton cracked 10 boundaries in his 56-ball 61 before being caught by Matheesha Pathirana off Dushan Hemantha
Tanzid, 22, has only played five ODIs but looked at home as he stroked two sixes and 10 fours on his way to 84 from 88 balls.
Any concern for the Lankans over the state of their senior wicketkeeper were eased as Perera took the gloves, catching Towhid Hridoy, the new star on the Bangladesh block, for a golden duck.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, skipper for the day, led Bangladesh home with an undefeated 67 off 64 balls with five boundaries and two sixes.
He and Mushfiqur Rahim (35) put on an undefeated 76 for the fourth wicket as Bangladesh cruised home.
Both sides have one further warmup match before their opening World Cup games on October 7.
Sri Lanka face Afghanistan in Guwahati on Tuesday before teeing off their tournament against South Africa in Delhi.
Bangladesh meet England in a warmup in Guwahati on Monday and start their World Cup proper against the Afghans in Dharamsala.

BRIEF SCORES
Sri Lanka 263 all out in 49.1 overs (Pathum Nissanka 68, Dhananjaya de Silva 55; Mahedi Hasan 3-36) v Bangladesh 264-3 in 42 overs (Tanzid Hasan 84, Mehidy Hasan Miraz 67 not out, Liton Das 61)
Result: Bangladesh won by seven wickets
Proteas, Afghanistan frustrated as rain washes out warm-upThe World Cup warm-up match between South Africa and Afghanistan at Thiruvananthapuram was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Friday.
Heavy rain frustrated both sides who now have one further warm-up to get the plans in order before the tournament gets underway next week.
The Proteas, whose captain Temba Bavuma has had to travel home for family reasons, will hope the weather improves in Thiruvananthapuram before their final warm-up against New Zealand on Monday.