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The Hagley Oval in Christchurch is set to host the first T20 International (T20I) of the five-match series between New Zealand and Australia on Monday (February 22).
Not so long ago, the hosts have defeated Pakistan by 2-1 in the T20I series. Therefore, the Kiwis will be looking to continue their dominance at home.
On the other hand, Australia will be playing this series after facing a loss in the T20I leg against India, followed by the Test series defeat as well. The visitors would be hoping to bounce back, especially in the limited-overs format.
Pitch report:
The pitch at Hagley Oval generally assist the seamers but from the last few matches played at this venue, spinners have also earned the advantage. Only one T20I game had happened here back in November 2019 when England had defeated the Black Caps by seven wickets.
Head to Head record:
Matches played: 9 | New Zealand: 1 | Australia: 7 | Tied+L: 1
Playing Combination:
New Zealand
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have announced a 13-member squad for the T20I series against Australia earlier this week.
Veteran batsman Martin Guptill will be featuring in the final XI as confirmed by captain Kane Williamson ahead of the first game.
Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Kyle Jamieson are expected to make the bowling attack lethal, with Mitchell Santner featuring as a spinner.
NZ XI: Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Mark Chapman/ Hamish Bennett, Kyle Jamieson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee.
Australia
The Australian side that was last seen in the T20I leg against India has been slightly changed with the absence of some big names like David Warner and Steve Smith.
Three uncapped players are in the 18-man squad featuring Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha and Riley Meredith. All these players have been picked on the basis of their Big Bash League (BBL) and domestic performance.
Aaron Finch will be leading the team with the presence of some senior players like Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade and Andrew Tye.
AUS XI: Aaron Finch (c), Josh Philippe, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Tanveer Sangha/Ashton Agar, Riley Meredith/Andrew Tye.
