Earlier, there were no heckles or abuse from the good-natured crowd of 1200 in an atmosphere starkly different to that predicted, when Australia opens its World Cup defence in England on June 1. It was the pair's first appearance in green and gold since the Cape Town ball- tampering affair in March 2018 that resulted in year-long bans for the captain and vice captain. Warner started nervously - he was dropped at gully off his third ball and almost popped a catch to point off his first ball - after Usman Khawaja (4) was bowled from the fourth ball of the innings. But he exploded to life once he scurried through to get off the mark, pulling a six over midwicket, and peppering the boundary between point and mid-off with a series of immaculately-timed drives. His impressive innings was cut short on 39, top-edging a reverse sweep to end a crisp 77-run stand with Aaron Finch (52). It was a brief, but compelling case from Warner, as coach Justin Langer remains coy on which two of Finch, Warner and Khawaja will face the new ball against Afghanistan on June 1 in Bristol. Warm applause followed Warner to the crease, but it was nothing on the reception Smith received, as he replaced him in the middle. Mitchell Starc (pec) was rested, while Kane Richardson, who isn't in the squad, went wicketless from seven tidy overs, when given the chance to press his claims for inclusion, if Jhye Richardson (shoulder) is unable to prove his fitness. Pat Cummins, Berendorff and Coulter-Nile all took three wickets against an under-strength Kiwi unit, missing regular skipper Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill and Trent Boult - all still on Indian Premier League duties in India. Cummins took two wickets in the first over, before a 137-run stand between Will Young (60) and Tom Blundell (77) ensured there was scoreboard pressure on the hosts. AAP Join us for live updates of the Blackcaps' Cricket World Cup campaign<doc-sep>The first leg of Australia’s World Cup preparations is officially over, with Aaron Finch’s outfit coming out 2-1 series winners against a New Zealand XI in Brisbane. We look back at the main takeaways from Australia’s World Cup warm-up series. Stream every game of the 2019 IPL Finals Live on KAYO SPORTS. Stream on your TV or favourite device in HD. Get your 14 day free trial > STARC’S PACE STILL THERE AS CUMMINS MAINTAINS THE RAGE Despite being kept off the park for more than three months, Mitchell Starc still managed to ratchet up the pace against the New Zealand XI. According to Kane Richardson, at one point the left-armer clocked 148km/h. That is highly encouraging for the Australians. If Starc comes anywhere finding his best from at the World Cup, he will be among the tournament’s most dangerous bowlers. It’s worth remembering this is a man who averages 21.44 with the ball — the fifth-best of anyone with more than 100 ODI wickets — and was player of the tournament at the 2015 edition of the World Cup. Mitchell Starc is back on the park. Source: AAP Speaking of fast-bowling weapons, Pat Cummins looks primed to leave his mark on the World Cup. Having already climbed atop the Test bowling rankings, Cummins is now making a case to be considered the world’s best across all formats. The quick went into the warm-up series with a bowling average of 14.29 across his six ODIs for the year, with five of those matches against Virat Kohli’s power-packed batting order. His numbers were even more impressive in the two unofficial matches he played against an admittedly understrength Kiwi line-up. Cummins took 3-36 in the first encounter and 4-32 in the final match to finish with an average of 9.71. Cummins played a secondary role in Australia’s 2015 World Cup campaign, featuring in just two games. He might just be Finch’s main man with the ball this time around. TOP THREE CONUNDRUM The biggest puzzle facing Australia heading into the World Cup is just how Aaron Finch, David Warner and Usman Khawaja fit together in the XI. All three look certain starters against Afghanistan, but all three are seemingly most comfortable starting the innings against the new ball. After three practice matches against New Zealand, it’s not much clearer which of the three should slide down to first drop. Game one saw Finch open alongside Khawaja, only for the latter to perish for four in the first over, bringing Warner out to the middle. He was opening the batting in all but name, and made a 43-ball 39 punctuated by seven boundaries and a flurry of early chances. In game two those roles were reversed, with Warner out for a duck and Khawaja rebuilding the innings with a half-century. Come game three, Finch was rested and Khawaja partnered Warner. Unfortunately for the Warner, he only made two in his last hit-out of the series. Nevertheless, after dominating the Indian Premier League (692 at 69.20), and with a well-earned reputation as one of cricket’s best ODI batsman, Warner remains a lock for Australia’s World Cup curtain-raiser. Going off Finch and Langer’s comments, the Warner-Khawaja combination looks the least likely pairing come the World Cup. Following the release of Australia’s World Cup squad, Finch implied Australia wanted a left-hand-right-hand combination at the top and he is the only right-hander. Langer also spoke warmly of Finch’s combinations with both Warner and Khawaja in an interview with SEN on Thursday. Finch threw another name into the mix for the top three on Friday, too. “Honest answer is no, we don’t have a definitive answer on what that’s going to look like,” he said, when quizzed on the side’s top three composition. “It comes down to the match-ups with the opposition where we’re best suited — Uzzy or Davey or Shaun (Marsh) or whoever it may be. “It could change throughout the course of the tournament.” — with AAP Aaron Finch is still working out Australia’s opening combination. Source: Getty Images SMITH ON SONG It won’t count towards his official ODI record, but Steve Smith’s performance in the second and third warm-up matches were his most impressive in a long time in 50-over cricket. Back in Australian colours for the first time in a year, Smith was below his best on his return in game one, making a 43-ball 22 batting at second drop. Two days later he was a man transformed, scoring an unbeaten 77-ball 89. Justin Langer later described it as “a tutorial in batting”. For Smith, it was his first 50+ score in a 50-over match of note in seven innings. Oft forgotten during his 12-month ban is the fact his ODI form had cooled off markedly before Cape Town. In the year before that he had averaged 30.00 with a strike rate of 75.34. He followed up his “tutorial” with an unbeaten 91in the series decider, and Australia will be hopeful the back-to-back 50+ scores are a sign of things to come from Smith. From 2014 to 2016 (2500 runs at 51.02) placed him among 50-over cricket’s finest batsmen. If he can reach those heights again in the next two months, Australia’s batting order looks a much stronger line-up. Steve Smith went past 50 in back-to-back innings. Source: Getty Images MAXWELL MAGIC Having brushed aside English rumours of a rift with Justin Langer, Glenn Maxwell fired back-to-back half-centuries against the Kiwis. Make no mistake, Maxwell’s return to form this year is every bit as important to Australia’s World Cup campaign as the actual returns of David Warner and Steve Smith to playing duties. At the 2015 edition, Maxwell averaged 64.80 with a strike rate of 182.02 – ridiculous numbers in any era – and he is gearing up to have a similar impact this time around. The all-rounder is averaging more than 40 this year with a strike rate of 126.51 – the best he has fared in a year since 2015. Twin fifties in Brisbane suggest another explosive World Cup campaign is not out of question. Glenn Maxwell passed 50 in both his innings against New Zealand. Source: AAP KIWI GUN MISSING WORLD CUP There will be more on the line next time Australia and New Zealand face each other. The antipodean rivals next meet on June 29 in what will be the penultimate round-robin match for each nation. It could be make or break. Fortunately for Finch’s side, they won’t have to take on Will Young, who was the warm-up series’ outstanding performer. Young, yet to debut for New Zealand but on a national contract, scored 301 runs in the series at an average of 103.33 courtesy of back-to-back tons in games two and three. Unfortunately for the Black Caps, the 26-year-old is locked in for surgery after this series on his right shoulder. Young injured the shoulder at a training camp last month and is likely to be sidelined for the remainder of the year.<doc-sep>Steve Smith delivered an early message to world cricket and Mitchell Starc made an impressive comeback but Australia's World Cup preparations hit a speed bump in their second warm-up clash against New Zealand. The home side made 6-277, led by Smith's unbeaten 89 off 77 balls, at Brisbane's Allan Border Field but the undermanned Black Caps (3-283) stormed to victory with 16 balls remaining. Will Young, who is not in New Zealand's World Cup squad and is nursing a shoulder injury, thumped 130 off 132 balls before he was run out but by then he had all but locked the best-of-three series at 1-1. The final practice match will be on Friday. Steve Smith in action with the bat on Wednesday. Credit:AAP Spearhead Starc, playing his first game in three months after a pectoral issue, was nursed through the innings but claimed 2-14 off five overs and touched speeds of up to 148km/h. He struck with his third ball, bowling Hamish Rutherford, and returned later to torpedo George Worker (56 off 79 balls) with a searing yorker but he had little help on a day fellow quick Jhye Richardson was ruled out of the World Cup because of a shoulder injury.<doc-sep>
David Warner batted at No.3 in Australia’s first World Cup warm-up match, while Steve Smith couldn’t find his best. David Warner batted at No.3 in Australia’s first World Cup warm-up match as Justin Langer tried to find a way to fit three openers into his XI. The incumbent opening partnership of Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja was undisturbed on Monday as Australia played a New Zealand XI in one of three 50-over matches in Brisbane. The pair - who have spearheaded Australia’s ODI turnaround in 2019 - were kept at the top of the order, with Warner at No.3. He was, however, brought to the crease in the first over after Khawaja was dismissed on the fifth ball of the innings. He started on shaky ground, edging his first delivery just short of backwards point and almost scooping another straight back to the bowler. He then steadied and showcased some of the stellar touch he found in the Indian Premier League with a handful of boundaries before he was dismissed for 39. Stream every match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Live & Anytime in HD on KAYO SPORTS. Get your 14 day free trial > Warner was playing for Australia and wearing its green and gold for the first time since the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal. Source: Getty Images Smith was also in action for Australia for the first time in more than a year. Source: Getty Images His dismissal brought Steve Smith to the crease at No. 4, with the pair both playing for Australia and wearing its green and gold for the first time since the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal. Smith didn’t fare as well and was caught behind by Tom Latham for 22 off Matt Henry. Shaun Marsh was picked at No.5 while Glenn Maxwell was listed as a substitute fielder alongside Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Jhye Richardson. Kane Richardson was picked as 12th man but received game time given it’s an unofficial match. Langer has five World Cup warm-up matches before settling on his best XI and there’s no suggestion that Warner will be asked to bat at first-drop for the tournament at this stage. Warner has only ever opened for Australia at ODI level, as has Finch, while Khawaja has batted at No.3 10 times at an average of 24.33. Captain Finch last month suggested he would maintain his opening spot at the World Cup to give Australia a right-hand-left-hand combination. Finch is the only right-hander of the trio, meaning left-handers Khawaja and Warner are likely in a battle to partner him at the top of the order. READ MORE WATCH: Smith stunner marks return to green and gold AT LAST! Smith and Warner back in Aussie gold ‘BUSINESS AS USUAL’: Smith and Warner back in the nets “There’s going to be plenty to think about over the next 6-8 weeks … to try and find our best combination and the best way to structure up our side,” Finch said after Australia announced its 15-man squad. “Davey’s record at the top is unbelievable and Uzzie’s been in great nick recently. Whichever way we go, there’s scope to mix and match that as we go through the tournament. We’ll work that out, there’s nothing set in stone right now. “I think all three of us could (bat at No.3). I’ve probably got the least experience out of all three of us in that position in limited-overs cricket. It’s something we’ll juggle and tinker with. I think a left-right combination is probably the way we’ll go, it just depends on which left-hander (opens).” Australia XII: Aaron Finch (c), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson (12th)