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Will Young, pictured last season, hit 64 no on his 28th birthday for New Zealand A against the West Indies.
The Black Caps trial higher order can rest easy if illness or injury occurs this summer.
Batting test Will Young and Wellington’s scoring machine Devon Conway both seized their opportunity for New Zealand A in Queenstown, as the three-day tour match against the West Indies, unsurprisingly, ended in a draw. on Sunday.
Young, who edged out Conway for the hitting cover role in the 13 Black Caps test squad to face the West Indies, made the most of the play on the final day.
New Zealand A was 124-1 in its second inning when it was called out to stumps at 5pm.
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Birthday boy Young, who turned 28 on Sunday, hit a patient 64 not out of 147 balls in the second inning for the New Zealand Athletics.
It was a nice gift for Young, who would have been frustrated with the way he came out in the first inning, caught by the side of the leg for 27.
CRICKET OF NZ
Darren Bravo scored a century for the Windies in Queenstown.
His Plunket Shield form for Central during the first four rounds of the competition had been spotty, supported by 110 no in the last round against Northern.
Young would be poised for a test debut during the summer at home against the West Indies or Pakistan, should an injury or illness occur on the eve of the match.
The right-hand hitter was scheduled to make his first test appearance against Bangladesh in March 2019 at Hagley Oval for the injured Kane Williamson, but the match was abandoned after the Christchurch mosque shootings the day before testing.
Michael Bradley / Getty Images
Will Young is the batting cap on New Zealand’s 13-man test team to face the West Indies.
Conway, who many felt should have been on the test team, kept the pressure on Young with a flawless display of the bat in Queenstown.
South African-born Conway, who completed his three-year residency and is eligible for the Black Caps, after being named to the T20 team, thwarted the West Indies attack. Conway could make his New Zealand debut in the first T20 at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday night.
He posted an undefeated 41 in the second inning, to go along with 46 that weren’t eliminated in the first inning.
Conway has picked up where he left off last season in red ball cricket, and is the leading scorer for runs on the Plunket Shield in four rounds with 410 at 58.57.
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Devon Conway, photographed in action for Wellington, scored an undefeated 46 and 41 not out for New Zealand A against the West Indies.
Test Number 5 Henry Nicholls was also in the running after being offside during the first three rounds of the Plunket Shield due to a calf injury.
Nicholls hit 76 in the first inning in his only at-bat, following 87 against Otago in his return to the Plunket Shield last week for Canterbury.
New Zealand’s rising talent, Rachin Ravindra, proved why he is rated so highly in the early innings, with the highest scoring 112 leading the batting.
The West Indies would have been satisfied with their batting efforts in Queenstown, scoring 366 in their first innings, in response to 308-3 declared by the New Zealand Athletics.
Shaun Botterill / Getty Images
Darren Bravo made a graceful century for the West Indies against NZ A in Queenstown on Saturday. (File photo)
His hitting stars were Darren Bravo, who hit 135 and Shamarh Brooks, who had 80. The pair combined for a partnership of 122 in third field. Skipper Roston Chase contributed 42, while starter Kraigg Brathwaite had 47.
The West Indies testing contingent will face New Zealand A in a four-day match in Queenstown from Thursday to Sunday.
The opening test is at Seddon Park in Hamilton, starting December 3.
TAKE A LOOK:
New Zealand A 308-3 decl (Rachin Ravindra 112, Henry Nicholls 76, Devon Conway 46th, Joe Carter 41st) and 124-1 (Will Young 64th, Conway 41st) drew with West Indies 366 (Darren Bravo 135, Shamarh Brooks 80, Kraigg Brathwaite 47, Roston Chase 42; Jacob Duffy 3-49)
