Auckland game a must win for New Zealand to avoid series loss against England
New Zealand v England | 3rd T20I | Thursday, 23rd October | Eden Park, Auckland | 8:15am
This is the third and final game of a three-match series. The teams head into the encounter with England 1-0 to the good after they won the second game and the first finished with no result.
New Zealand must win the final game of the series to secure the draw. A win or no result will see England claim the series.
England are currently the third ranked T20I side in the world while New Zealand is ranked fourth.
Phil Salt and Jos Buttler are ranked two and four on the ICC list of best T20I batters.
The only Black Cap ranked in the top 20 batters list at present is opener Tim Seifert who is in seventh place.
The Black Caps regular white-ball captain Mitchell Santner and batsman Rachin Ravindra, who both missed the recent games against Australia, are fit again and set to make their return to the squad.
Veteran batsman Kane Williamson is still not fully fit, however. He is targeting a return to Black Cap action for the ODI series which follows the three T20Is.
Also missing for New Zealand are Finn Allen, Adam Milne, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips and Lockie Ferguson who are all out with long-term issues.
England’s Sam Curran has yet to be dismissed on this tour. He has scores of 49* and 8*.
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
England has an excellent record at this venue, never having lost a T20I here. They played three games at the ground, have won two and tied the third.
New Zealand has a remarkably disappointing record in Auckland – they have played 29 times at the venue and have won just 10 times. They have lost 15 games here and curiously, tied four times.
In the history of T20I cricket there have only ever been 44 tied matches – four of them have been at Eden Park (more than any other venue). In short, nine percent of all tied T20Is have been played at Eden Park.
The skipper who wins the toss in Auckland tends to field first – this has happened in 19 of the 29 games played here.
The team that won the toss in Auckland has won on just nine occasions – that translates to 31% of the games played have been won by the team who won the toss.
The average first innings score at the ground is 162.
The highest score made at the ground was Australia’s 245 for 5 in 18.5 overs, made against New Zealand in 2018. This was also the highest successful run chase at the ground.
The lowest score recorded at the ground was Bangladesh’s 76 all out from 9.3 overs made against New Zealand in 2021.
Weather:
Rain had a major effect on the first game of the series, and it is in the air again on Thursday. It may not rain throughout the day, but chances are high that there will be some disruptions. The wind will be blustery at around 30kpm, and the temperature will be a moderate 23 degrees at its peak.
Form (most recent game first):
New Zealand: L, NR, L, NR, L.
England: W, NR, W, A, W.
Key player:
New Zealand, Mitchell Santner: The Black Caps skipper is a key player for the New Zealand with his late order hitting and wily ability with ball in hand. Santner bats down the order which means he is never going to return huge totals, but he did hit a brisk 36 from 15 balls in a losing cause in the second game of the series. It is as a bowler that he brings genuine value though, and thus far in the series he has taken one for 61 from eight overs. As a bowler who averages 22.88 per wicket in T20I at a strike rate of 19.3, he will be conscious that his performance in the series thus far has been below par.
England, Harry Brook: The England squad is full of batsmen in good form, and none more so that skipper Harry Brook. Brook, who averages 30.66 in the shortest form of the game, scored his 1000 T20I run on Monday in Christchurch as he hit a whirlwind 78 from 35 balls. Batting at number four Brook is in excellent form at the moment, averaging 69,5 from his last three innings.
Verdict: England
England won the second game quite comfortably and there is nothing to suggest that they won’t be able to repeat the feat again. The Black Caps have a disappointing record at the venue, and they are still missing several key players. England on the other hand has a host of batters in good form and they are full of confidence. Expect them to take the series.
