New Zealand fails to win a single match in the T20I series against Australia at home: Player ratings for the Hosts

Mitchell Santner’s New Zealand suffered a throbbing 3-0 defeat against Australia in a three-match series at home. The Blackcaps lost a couple of their in-form players due to injury while most of their side didn’t perform as expected. Nevertheless, New Zealand would be looking forward to getting a sense of redemption as the two sides will also be playing a two-match Test series from February 29. 

Hence, without further delay, let’s take a look at the report card of the New Zealand players for the three-match series: 

Top Order

Devon Conway (7/10): Despite getting a positive start, Devon Conway‘s series ended on an unfortunate note. In the first match, he scored 63 runs off 46 deliveries and also teamed up with Rachin Ravindra for a decent partnership, nevertheless, the Blackcaps lost the match. 

In the second match, Conway injured his left thumb while wicket-keeping in only the second over, when he was struck by an Adam Milne delivery, who was bowling at over 140kph. Positively, the X-ray reports of the 32-year-old have ruled out the possibility of a fracture. However, he was forced to miss the remaining games. 

Finn Allen (4/10): Opening with Conway in the first T20I, Finn Allen pushed the run-rate for New Zealand in the powerplay by scoring 32 runs off 17 deliveries. 

In the second match, after Conway’s injury, the pressure was shifted to Allen and he failed to live up to the expectations. Allen was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood in the first over. Similarly in the third match, Allen failed to give a strong start to the hosts and he was eventually dismissed when he was only at 13.

Rachin Ravindra (7/10): Rachin Ravindra started the three-match T20I series against Australia on a spectacular note by scoring 68 runs off 35 deliveries in the first match. Moreover, he also completed a 113-run partnership with Devon Conway for the second wicket, eventually guiding the side toward a total of 215. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old missed the other two matches of the series due to reported pain in the left knee. 

Will Young (3/10): At the place of Rachin Ravindra, Will Young was called into the playing XI of the Blackcaps. However, Young only scored five runs before he was caught behind by Matthew Wade on Pat Cummins’ delivery. 

In the second match, Young looked good as he started his innings with a couple of boundaries, however, he was also dismissed early at the score of 14 runs.

Middle Order

Tim Seifert (2/10): Tim Seifert replaced Devon Conway in the Blackcaps’ XI after the 32-year-old sustained a thumb injury while wicket-keeping. Seifert caught behind Steve Smith and Matt Short. However, he failed to impress with his batting skills, scoring only two runs off five balls. 

Mark Chapman (3/10): Mark Chapman played a short 19-run innings in 13 deliveries at the end of the first match. The 29-year-old played a forgettable 2-run innings in the second match. In the last match, Chapman played a stable 17-run innings in 15 balls, however, the Blackcaps required a few big shots during the time.

Glenn Phillips (8/10): Glenn Phillips has emerged as a reliable performer for New Zealand in the last couple of years. In the first match, he scored 19 runs off 10 deliveries. However, he played a 42-run innings in the second T20I, when the whole of New Zealand’s batting line-up was struggling. 

Phillips continuously tried helping the Blackcaps get out of clutch positions, which was also visible in the third T20I, where he scored 40 runs off 24 deliveries. However, despite his gritty efforts, New Zealand lost the series 3-0. 

All-rounders

Mitchell Santner (6/10): Mitchell Santner had a nightmarish time in the three-match T20I series against Australia as a skipper because his side went through a 3-0 whitewash on the home soil. Moreover, they also lost two of their star players due to injuries. In the first match, Santner picked up two wickets, conceding 42 runs during his entire spell. 

After taking two wickets with an economy rate of 8.75, Santner came to bat at the third spot in the second T20I but after struggling for a while, he was sent back to the pavilion by Nathan Ellis. The Blackcaps skipper took the wicket of Travis Head in his two-over spell in the third T20I. 

Josh Clarkson (4/10): Josh Clarkson didn’t bat or bowl in the first match. Moreover, he scored 10 runs in the second match. In the third match, he got the opportunity to bowl an over, where he dismissed Glenn Maxwell, conceding eight runs. 

Bowlers

Adam Milne (3/10): Adam Milne gave the Blackcaps a decent start in the first match by dismissing Travis Head early, however, in his last over, which was the 19th over of the match, Milne leaked 19 runs. In the second match, Milne took the wickets of Tim David and Pat Cummins, but his economy rate was 10. In the last match, Milne dismissed Steve Smith in his first over, eventually conceding 20 runs in two overs.

Tim Southee (1/10): New Zealand’s veteran bowler Tim Southee played only the first match of the series, where he bowled four overs and conceded 52 runs, without picking up a single wicket. Moreover, he also bowled the last over of the match, where he failed to defend 15 runs against Australia’s Tim David. 

Lockie Ferguson (9/10): Lockie Ferguson was New Zealand’s best player in the three-match series. With an exceptional economy, Ferguson conceded only 23 runs in the first match and also dismissed Glenn Maxwell. 

Displaying his bowling prowess, Ferguson picked up four wickets in the second match while conceding only 12 runs during his spell before being rested for the third T20I.

Ish Sodhi (1/10): Ish Sodhi also didn’t get a favourable start to his campaign as the spinner leaked 42 runs during his spell in the first T20I. Sodhi was called into the team ahead of the third T20I. However, he leaked 22 runs in 10 deliveries and didn’t take any wickets. 

Trent Boult (1/10): Tim Southee was dropped for the second match and Trent Boult was given the duty to bowl death overs. However, Boult also failed to take a wicket and conceded 49 runs during his spell. 

However, he scored 16 runs while batting in the same match, where the Blackcaps’ whole batting order collapsed. Boult remained wicketless during the whole campaign as he leaked 24 runs in two overs in the last match. 

Ben Sears (6/10): Ben Sears was given an opportunity into the playing XI in place of Ish Sodhi in the 2nd T20I and the 26-year-old gave a decent performance. He bowled with an economy rate of 7.25 and dismissed the top scorer of the game, Travis Head and Maxwell. In the last match of the series, Sears dismissed Matt Short, conceding 22 runs in two overs.