New Zealand's Under-19 World Cup squad has made a winning start in their first match together, en route to the 2016 ICC Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh.
The team is currently in Dubai engaged in a warm-up tri-Series with Australia and Pakistan before travelling to the tournament, and overnight opened with an impressive four-wicket win against Australia's Under-19s.
Whilst the young Australians are participating in the warm-up series in Dubai, they have withdrawn from the Bangladesh tournament itself — in which they had been set to play in the same pool as the New Zealanders, along with India and Nepal. Ireland has since replaced Australia in New Zealand's group.
Hawke's Bay allrounder Christian Leopard, who featured in Devon Hotel Central Stags warm-up fixtures earlier this season, slammed an unbeaten 50 off 42 balls to bring home the chase in exciting style.
Christian Leopard has also excelled at middle distance running
The New Zealanders had been hunting down Australia's 169, having put them in and bowled them out in just 39 overs, on a pitch that encouraged the seamers — none of the Australians, coached by cricket legends Greg Chappell and Graeme Hick, able to reach a half century of their own.
Despite Nathan Smith, of Otago, claiming his first international scalp in the first over of the match, the Australians did get off to a brisk start.
However, the New Zealanders managed to build pressure, and regularly picked up wickets as a result to wrap up Australia's innings an hour before the scheduled innings break.
Auckland left-arm seamer Ross ter Braak picked up 3/23, and slow bowlers Aniket Parikh and left-arm-spinner Rachin Ravindra bowled miserly spells in the middle stages of the game to help restrict the opposition through a solid team effort.
But in reply, the New Zealanders got into a touch of strife.
Mondiale Auckland Aces opener Glenn Phillips got the team off to a fast start with 31 from 18 balls, but losing three wickets for no runs after the lunch break halted a brisk run rate, New Zealand plummeting from 82/3 to 82/5.
Finn Allen and Christian Leopard showed impressive maturity in resurrecting the innings.
Leopard came in at eight with the score at 102/6, and promptly belted six boundaries and three sixes in his matchwinning 71-run partnership with Allen (31* off 64).
Eighteen-year-old Leopard finished with a spate of boundaries and cracked the winning runs with a four to long off to post his maiden international half century.
Australia had made inroads thanks to their offspinner Arjun Nair, who had to be content with 3-30.
The New Zealanders take on Pakistan overnight. Once in Bangladesh, the team also has a pair of warm-up games against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan before playing their first round robin match against Nepal on 28 January.
New Zealand Under-19s World Cup Squad
Josh Finnie – Otago (captain)
Finnley Allen – Auckland
Josh Clarkson – Central Districts
Zak Gibson – Northern Districts
Christian Leopard – Central Districts
Felix Murray – Central Districts
Aniket Parikh – Auckland
Dale Phillips – Auckland
Glenn Phillips – Auckland
Rachin Ravindra – Wellington
Talor Scott – Canterbury
Ben Sears – Wellington
Nathan Smith – Otago
Daniel Stanley – Canterbury
Ross ter Braak – Auckland
