Australia vs New Zealand 1ST T20I Match Preview: Can Kiwis Stop the Dominant Aussies?

The T20I series between Australia and New Zealand is expected to bring thrilling matches. Both teams are stacked with renowned T20I stars who have produced commanding performances in different global tournaments. The Aussies are coming into this series with a strong show against South Africa. They recently won the home series against the Proteas with a final score line of 2-1.

On the other hand, the Kiwis will be playing on their home turf, so they would be feeling a bit more confident. They would know the conditions of the ground, and how the nature of the surface changes after each innings. With such information, Kiwis can play a more proactive game as compared to the Aussies. Meanwhile, there are some unfamiliar names also present in the New Zealand squad that could give the Aussies plenty of surprises.

The series will help both teams to know the areas where they need improvement before the next year’s T20 World Cup. New Zealand would love to know the opening batting lineup they need to finalize for the World Cup, while Aussies will try to find stability in their middle order. Currently, all the teams around the world are focusing on the same goal, as the challenge of the mega event is approaching very fast.

In this context, this series can answer many questions for both teams. We could therefore expect plenty of fireworks in batting from both sides, as names like Tim Seifert, Travis Head and Mitch Owen could dominate the headlines in the upcoming days.

Let’s take a look at how both teams are preparing for the 1st T20I at Mount Maunganui. It could be a tough contest for bowlers, as pitches at Mount Maunganui have often proved conducive for batting.

New Zealand T20I Team Analysis

For this series, New Zealand has picked a list of stars who could provide sheer dominance in batting. They know that Aussies are coming up with a depleted bowling lineup, so getting a go at the inexperienced attack would be the top priority for Kiwis in this series.

New Zealand has also picked some genuine all-rounders to build a perfect balance in the squad. This could prove vital for them in the first game, as performances with both bat and bowl could give them an edge over Australia.

Australia T20I Team Analysis

The Australian team is coming into this series on the back of a strong performance against South Africa. They have recently defeated South Africa in a three-match T20I series at home. This gave them a lot of confidence, which will now come in handy in New Zealand as well.

The batting firepower of Australia could certainly give them an edge over New Zealand. They have got loads of potential from the start of the batting order. They need all of them to fire in this series, as their cumulative performance could negate the bowling attack of New Zealand comfortably.

Possible Playing XI for New Zealand

1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Rachin Ravindra/Tim Robinson, 4 Mark Chapman, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Bevon Jacobs, 7 Michael Bracewell (capt), 8 Kyle Jamieson, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Jacob Duffy

Possible Playing XI for Australia

1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Matt Short, 4 Tim David, 5 Alex Carey (wk), 6 Mitch Owen, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Sean Abbott, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Match Prediction

Both teams will try to bat first to put on a strong total on the board. It would be interesting to see what combination they will pick to make their batting strong. Australia has got a lot of names to go with, however, New Zealand are limited with only a few options. They will try to bolster their middle order by adding all-rounders, as they could prove vital for them in both innings of the game.