England's first tour game washed out

Match abandoned New Zealand XI 70 for 1 in 9.1 overs (Latham 23*, Woakes 1-15) v England XI
Scorecard

England's first Twenty20 practice match against New Zealand XI was abandoned due to rain after only 9.1 overs were bowled in Whangarei. However, the match will be re-played at 1400 local time tomorrow.

Stuart Broad, the England Twenty20 captain, won the toss under grey skies and chose to field first. Hamish Rutherford, the New Zealand XI opener, made an aggressive start and scored 21 out of a 23-run opening stand with Anton Devcich, but he was out to Chris Woakes' first delivery. It was the only wicket to fall as Devcich and Tom Latham put on a 47-run stand before the rains came.

The squads featured two players who were making comebacks into their respective sides - Stuart Broad and Ross Taylor. Broad, playing his first competitive match after a heel injury forced him out of India tour after the Mumbai Test in November, bowled just seven balls in the innings.

Taylor, who last played for New Zealand during the Sri Lanka tour in November, did not get a chance to bat on Monday and will not be involved any further with the England warm-ups. Andrew Ellis, the New Zealand XI captain, said that Taylor had only been scheduled to play in the first match, before heading back to Hamilton in advance of the T20 series.

"Ross is nipping off back home, to pack some stuff up before the tour starts, and then he'll join the Black Caps," Ellis said. "Neil Broom is here, so I imagine he'll be a direct replacement."

Ellis added that he expected Taylor to slot back into the squad without any issues, after he was removed from the New Zealand captaincy and opted out of the South Africa tour. "It's always good to have 'Rosco' around," Ellis said. "He's got a big smile on his face, and he's a happy character. I think everyone has combined now to move forward and attack this series as a combined unit. I definitely get that feeling."

The teams are scheduled to play another practice match on Wednesday in Whangarei before moving over to Auckland for the first of three matches in the Twenty20 series.