Middle-order batter Maddy Green has paced the NZ innings and Amelia Kerr led the bowlers, as the White Ferns prepared for the T20 World Cup with a comfortable 32-run warm-up win over West Indies at Cape Town.
After losing the toss, the NZ women were sent into bat first, but were reduced to 32/3 early, with opener Brenadine Bezuidenhout, Georgia Plimmer and Kerr dismissed cheaply.
With skipper Sophie Devine nursing a broken foot in the build-up to the tournament, opener Suzie Bates assumed the captaincy and anchored the top order with 30 runs off 35 balls, before she was the fourth wicket to fall at 58.
But a fifth-wicket stand of 56 between Green and Brooke Halliday helped salvage the innings, with Halliday the last to depart, run out in the final over, as the Ferns scrambled for runs at the death, finally reaching 123/5.
"All the wickets so far over here in South Africa have been pretty slow, so it's been a little bit difficult to post a big score in the powerplay," said coach Ben Sawyer. "We've still got to try to do that, but you're obviously going to lose wickets and we're OK with that, as long as we push the score along.
"For the middle order to consolidate as they did, especially Maddy, was really good. She's been outstanding and probably has been for 7-8 months now."
West Indies began strongly and were up with the required run rate at 76/3 in the 14th over, but fell away with the loss of topscorers Shemaine Campbelle (26) and Chinelle Henry (23) in successive overs, without addition to the score.
Kerr had Shabika Gajnabi stumped by makeshift wicketkeeper Green for three, then trapped Henry leg before wicket, before having Zaida James caught in the final over for her three scalps.
"With the slow wickets, we were probably going to be spin heavy and the quicks were probably upset they weren't going to get much of a bowl today, but we really wanted to compete and play like we would in a proper game," said Sawyer.
"I think they bowled 13-14 overs of spin and were outstanding. The last four overs only went for 12, so that was pretty good at the back end."
New Zealand have another warm-up match scheduled against England, before their World Cup opener against champions Australia on Sunday (NZ time).
New Zealand 123/5 (Green 47no, Bates 30, Halliday 24; Chinelle Henry 1/21) West Indies 91 (Campbelle 26, Henry 23; Kerr 3/20)
NZ win by 32 runs
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