After witnessing a thrilling saga in the opening clash, cricket fans around the globe are hugely excited for the Second T20I to spectate yet another high-profile contest between the two quarrelling powerhouses.
New Zealand is gearing up to rise from the ruins of Wellington and is eyeing to stage a quick turnaround at Auckland’s Eden Park this Friday. The home team will be daunted by the visiting side Australia which is just a win away from a remarkable away series triumph.
Josh Clarkson who made his debut in the previous game did not get the opportunity with the willow and will be waiting for his maiden batting appearance in this forthcoming game. The Kiwi squad was cut short to only 13 players when Trent Boult was declared unavailable for the series opener but the veteran speedster will be now available for the remainder of the series and is expected to replace Adam Milne in the playing XI.
The biggest drawback for visitors was the failure of their high-profile fast-bowling trio which spent 9.8 runs per over at Wellington. Nathan Ellis is eagerly waiting for his turn but the Hobart Hurricanes’ bowler may still have to wait longer to barge into the Aussie pace unit as the Australian team management may not consider any changes in their lineup to sustain further the winning momentum.
What have they done so far?
Before coming into this series, Australia won the T20I series against West Indies 2-1 preceded by a 4-1 loss to India. On the other hand, New Zealand recently defeated Pakistan 4-1 at home preceded by a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh.
The opening clash of the T20I series was won by the visiting Aussie side who emerged victorious in a nail-biting thriller. After winning the toss, the Kiwis elected to bat first and posted a humongous total of 215 runs on the board while losing just three wickets at the end of the 20 overs. The half-centuries from the star opener Devon Conway (63) and the young all-rounder Rachin Ravindra starred in the Blackcaps’ first-innings prowess.
Tim David’s masterclass in death overs pulled off the Wellington heist
Despite losing both of their openers inside the first seven overs, the Australian middle-order stepped up and provided much-needed stability in the middle overs. Skipper Mitchell Marsh who arrived on the battlefield in the 4th-over played a match-defining innings of 72 runs off 44 balls and stayed not out till the last delivery.
However, the clutch to turn it into a successful run-chase was given by the dynamic finisher Tim David who did not miss his mark when 12 runs were required from the last three balls.
Head to Head Record
When the 20-over format was introduced to international cricket, these two neighboring nations got the honor of featuring in the first-ever T20I match. Australia registered a comfortable victory in that 2005 clash and carried their legacy of enmity in the shortest format as well. Since then, we have seen 17 encounters of this format between these two sides who gradually developed themselves as T20 giants over the years.
The Aussies continued their dominance over the Trans-Tasman rivals throughout the years and are currently leading the head-to-head record with 11 wins. New Zealand may stand with only 6 victories under their helm and interestingly, 67% of their winning T20I outcomes have come in the home conditions. Moreover, the Blackcaps also graced the champions’ podium during the most recent bilateral face-off with the neighbors after winning the five-match series by 3-2.
Key Players
A new Mr. Consistent is on the rise for the Blackcaps
Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand): Rachin Ravindra emerged in the first T20I as the highest run-scorer for the home team smashing 68 runs with a strike-rate of 194. His partnership of 113 runs with Devon Conway for the second wicket was a turning point that kept the Blackcaps ahead in the game for a long time.
The Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner’s decision to not use him with the ball came as a shocker as the 24-year-old is known for his tight economy in the limited-overs format.
Mitchell Marsh (Australia): It was an obvious decision when the 32-year-old was chosen as the Player of the Match at Sky Stadium after delivering a magnificent all-round performance. Marsh bowled three overs in the first innings and staged the dismissal of Conway while spending only 21 runs from his bowling quota.
The Baggy Greens will be heavily relying on their skipper for yet another fine performance with the willow on the Auckland pitch.
Predicted XIs
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner ©, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh ©, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis (wk), Tim David, Matthew Short, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Prediction
Australia will eventually clinch the bilateral silverware if they end up on the winning side of this contest. Hence it is a do-or-die clash for the Blackcaps who have never lost a T20I bilateral tie with the Aussies on the home turf. Despite losing the previous clash, the prediction odds are still favoring New Zealand to win the second chapter and level the series by 1-1.