Proteas make short work of New Zealand in World Cup warm-up

The Proteas made short work of dispatching New Zealand with a quick nine-wicket victory at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Monday morning in one of two warm-up matches South Africa will play ahead of the T20 World Cup.

South Africa meet Bangladesh in the second warm-up game, also in Brisbane, on Wednesday.

New Zealand were bowled out for 98 in 17.1 overs, with opener Martin Guptill top scoring with 26 and Glenn Phillips adding 20.

Spinner Keshav Maharaj was the chief destroyer with 3 for 17 in three overs. The wickets were spread around with Wayne Parnell and Tabraiz Shamsi weighing in with two apiece and Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada and Aiden Markram each adding one.

In response, South Africa banged out 100 for 1 in 11.2 overs. Reeza Hendricks, caught by Phillips off Ish Sodhi, fell for 27 off 24 balls. Rilee Rossouw with 54 not out off 32 balls and Markram (16 not out off 12) steered South Africa home.

The Proteas’ opening game of the World Cup is in the Super 12 stage at Bellerive Oval, Hobart next Monday against a qualifier from the First Round, which began on Sunday.

Reuters reports that Sri Lanka's T20 World Cup campaign got off to a disastrous start in the First Round stage on Sunday as the former champions crashed to a 55-run Group A defeat to Namibia in Geelong.

Arriving as surprise Asia Cup champions, Sri Lanka had hoped to make an early statement against the African associate side in front of thousands of expectant supporters on a sunbathed afternoon at Kardinia Park. Instead, it was Namibia soaking up their finest international win a year after storming into the Super 12s at the last World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

Bowled out for 108 after chasing 164 for victory, 2014 champions Sri Lanka can afford no slip-ups in their qualifying matches against United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and the Netherlands on Thursday.