England ease past New Zealand in first U19 WC warm-up clash

Key Highlights

• Captain Tom Jones then combined with Snehith Reddy to steady the innings, forging New Zealand’s highest partnership of the match.
• The pair added 74 runs, with Jones bringing up a well-compiled half-century and Reddy contributing a brisk 35 off 37 balls.
• However, momentum shifted dramatically when both batters were dismissed in consecutive overs without a run being added, triggering a collapse that saw New Zealand slip to 163/4 and then lose three more wickets for just 25 runs.
• Lower-order resistance from Brandan Matzopoulos and Callum Samson revived the Blackcaps innings, as the duo stitched together a crucial 42-run stand before Matzopoulos was bowled by Alex French for 29.
• Samson later added another valuable 33-run partnership with Harry Burns, helping New Zealand recover to a competitive total of 264.