New Zealand won by 53 runs
Apart from the first ten overs with the ball, Australia played catch up throughout the game. They allowed New Zealand to score 117 in the final ten overs and then could not cope with the swing of Southee and Boult. The two pacers rocked them with the new ball and picked up four wickets inside the powerplay. Mitch Marsh held one end up but had no support from the other. Agar played a cameo but the rest succumbed to the gile of Ish Sodhi. Earlier in the day, it was Devon Conway who bailed New Zealand out of trouble. The southpaw is in the form of his life as he notched up his third consecutive 90+ score in the T20 format. It was his innings that gave them a massive total and the bowlers then came to the party. Hang around for the presentations..
Teams:
Australia (Playing XI): Aaron Finch(c), Matthew Wade(w), Josh Philippe, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh, Daniel Sams, Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa
New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert(w), Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
Williamson (New Zealand Captain) : We were gonna have a bowl first as well, it's nice to be back out here. It's important we keep building on the performances and looking forward to the challenge against Australia, a really strong team. Hamish Bennett and Mark Chapman miss out today. Yeah, nice color (talking about jersey) and has a bit of old look to it.
Finch (Australian Captain) : We are gonna have a bowl, looks a good wicket and don't think it will change much. We are backing our batters and finish well with the ball. Great facilities here, had 12 days of training and it could be a little tough sometimes. Josh (Philippe) is making his debut today, really excited for him and it's a great opportunity for youngsters.
Australia have won the toss and choose to Bowl
Team news:
New Zealand: Lockie Ferguson is out with a stress fracture and that means more opportunities for Bennett. Devon Conway, who has scores of 93*, 91* and 69* in his last three T20s, will form the middle-order with Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips. Guptill has regained fitness and he will be eager to get going with questions surrounding his form.
Probable XI: Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee, Hamish Bennett/Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
Australia: Aaron Finch's form is a concern and the captain would like to quash any rumblings with some runs. Mitchell Marsh has recovered from his injury but is short on match time and will hope to edge past Ashton Turner to take up the finisher's role. Jason Behrendorff, who last played a T20I in 2019, is also likely to return.
Probable XI: Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade (wk), Josh Philippe, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Marsh/Ashton Turner, Ashton Agar, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Jason Behrendorff
Jhye Richardson felt exhausted a day after the IPL auction as if he had played a game. Riley Meredith was busy converting Richardson's bid into Australian dollars when his name came up. "It went a bit out of control," is how the uncapped pacer put it. In another room, Kyle Jamieson had woken up just in time to see Royal Challengers Bangalore bid INR 15 crore for the pacer.
Even with the euphoria of bagging high-paying deals with IPL franchises now behind them, the players will have to get used to playing under the spotlight now. And practice their answers for when they are asked if the money brings in some additional pressure. While it's unlikely they'll feel the pressure of the massive deals till they land for the IPL, it'll be hard to escape the murmurs, and the banter, about their stint at the IPL. No doubt the focus will be squarely on winning matches for their countries, and on the bigger picture - the T20 World Cup in India - but the five-match T20I series is also a chance for them to get in shape for the biggest domestic tournament in the world.
Both New Zealand and Australia walk into the series with a mindset of changing and chopping things, looking to shape their combinations for the T20 World Cup. New Zealand will play two spinners in India when the tournament arrives, Trent Boult will slot in the playing XI and that means there will be a shootout between Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Hamish Bennett and others to find a spot. Australia walk into the contest with a similar issue - Kane Richardson, Jhye, Meredith, Jason Behrendorff and Andrew Tye - all looking to impress to partner some of the premier bowlers when they return, published by - The Beyond News (Sports)