New Zealand players are wearing black armbands during the second T20I against India in Raipur today (January 23).
The armbands are being worn in support and reflection of those affected by devastating storms and landslides in the upper North Island of New Zealand over recent days. Record-breaking rainfall caused a landslide at a campsite in Mount Maunganui on Thursday (January 22), with a state of emergency declared while emergency services work to rescue stranded residents.
Two dead after landslides in New Zealand
Two people have been reported to have been killed in the landslide, which were caused by heavy rain and flooding over the past few days. Several people are still missing, with helicopter teams being forced to rescue people from rooftops. States of emergency have been declared in five regions across Northland and East Cape due to the dangerous weather conditions.
New Zealand emergency minister Mark Mitchell told reporters that parts of the East Coast resembled "a war zone", with footage from the scene showing overturned campervans and uprooted trees.
Tauranga, which is the closest major city to Mount Maunganui, saw 295mm of rainfall in the 30 hours before the landslide hit. Other areas have also been affected, with homes and farmland flooded.
New Zealand bat first in second T20I
Devon Conway and Tim Seifert took the field wearing black armbands to bat first for New Zealand in Raipur. India won the toss and chose to field, having gone 1-0 up in the series on Wednesday in Nagpur.
Conway got the BlackCaps off to a fast start, hitting four boundaries in the opening over off Arshdeep Singh, including clearing the boundary over backward point for the first six of the match. He was out off the second ball of the fourth over, however, skying a slower ball from Harshit Rana. Seifert departed in the following over for 24 off 13.
Follow Wisden for all updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
