New Zealand must win to tie series after rain washes out game two
New Zealand v Australia | Third T20I | Saturday, 4th October | Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui | 8:15am
The teams head into the third game of the series with Australia leading 1-0 after a comprehensive win in the series opener and a washout in Friday’s second game. A win for New Zealand will leave the series tied while a win for Australia will see them win 2-0.
There is a very quick turn-round between the second and third games of the series with matches being played back-to-back on Friday and Saturday night.
Australia is currently the second ranked T20I side in the world, while New Zealand is fourth.
Australia’s Travis Head is the fifth highest ranked T20I batsman in the world. He is three spots ahead of the Black Caps Tim Seifert, who is eighth.
Kiwi skipper Mitch Santner has been ruled out of the series following abdominal surgery. In his absence, Michael Bracewell will lead the team.
New Zealand have been hit by a series of injuries and withdrawals, aside from Santner they will also be without Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen and Kane Williamson.
As if they are not suffering enough with injuries and forced withdrawals, New Zealand suffered a further blow in the build up to the first T20I when batsman Rachin Ravindra was ruled out after colliding with a boundary board during fielding practice. He didn’t suffer a concussion, but he required several stitches and has been withdrawn from the series as a result. Jimmy Neesham has been called up as his replacement.
Australia suffered a traumatic injury of their own with Glenn Maxwell forced out of the competition after breaking his arm in the nets. ‘The Big Show’ was struck by a full-blooded Mitch Owen drive. He is replaced by Josh Philippe.
New Zealand have not won any of their last five T20I games against Australia.
Venue: Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
All three games of this series are being played at the same venue – the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
This will be Australia’s third T20I at the venue. The first time they played here was the series opener. They have yet to lose a game at Bay Oval
New Zealand has a good record at Mount Maunganui having won nine of the 17 games they have played three. Four of their games ended with no result and they lost four times as well.
The team that lost the toss at Mount Maunganui won eight times while the side that won it has won five.
Skippers who win the toss at Mount Maunganui generally chose to field first – this has been the option in 14 of the 17 games played at the venue.
The average first innings score at Bay Oval is 160.
The highest score recorded at the venue is New Zealand’s 243/5 made against the West Indies in 2018.
The lowest score successfully defended at the ground was India’s 163/3 made against New Zealand in 2020.
New Zealand skipper Michael Bracewell has an excellent record at the venue. He has played four games at the Bay Oval and been dismissed twice – he averages 58,5 at the ground.
Weather:
The weather for Saturday’s decider is set to be an improvement on Friday’s rain. There is a limited chance of showers, but it should be good enough for cricket to be played. The conditions will be far from comfortable though – it will be cold and windy.
Form (most recent game first):
New Zealand: NR, L, W, W, W.
Australia: NR, W, W, L, W.
Key player:
New Zealand, Tim Robinson: Youngster Tim Robinson is still finding his way in the international game, but he played a superb knock in the first T20I as he almost single-handedly dragged the Black Caps out of trouble and onwards to a respectable score. Freshly back in New Zealand after a spell playing County Cricket for Northampton, Robinson hit his maiden T20I ton (and his second in T20) in just his 12th game. It wasn’t enough to see his side win, but it was certainly enough to make the selectors sit up and take notice. With the opportunity to start afforded to him by the absence of Rachin Ravindran, Robinson will want to use the platform to steak a permanent place in the team.
Australia, Mitch Marsh: The Australian skipper was in excellent form in the series opener, finding the middle of the bat from the get-go. He fell with the finish line in sight for a well-played 85 from 43 balls as his good form continued. His last five white-ball games have seen him go past 50 in all but on one occasion for an average of 69. He is very much a man at the top of his game.
Verdict: Australia
Australia were comfortable winners in the series opener, but they still left plenty of room for improvement – especially with their fielding effort, where they spilled a number of chances. They did work some magic with a few fantastic run outs, but they could definitely be better and New Zealand, who are badly shorn of first-choice stars, should be worried. Expect the Aussies to build on their performance in game one and take secure the series on Saturday.
