That’s round one done, folks. Round two comes Friday and the final showdown of this series is on Saturday. I’ll be back to call the action in the first of those clashes but Saturday I’m covering the Bledisloe. Thanks for your company today and adieu!
After a comprehensive defeat in the first of this three-match series, New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Michael Bracewell is clinging to silver linings…
In the powerplays in both innings we fell behind in the game. We did well as a batting unit to put a competitive total on the board. Ultimately Mitch and Travis took the game away from us. I think we can take a lot of positives. Those partnerships through the middle were particularly impressive. Tim Robinson played beautifully. He and Daryl took the game on from a difficult position.
Australia’s captain Mitch Marsh has been voted Player of the match
It’s really important in a three-match series to start off with a win (and) nice to contribute. Heady and I have a great relationship off the field and tonight was a lot of fun with him. The way we’re playing has happened organically. We do have a lot of power in our batting line-up. Hopefully it can continue. I thought we started really well with the ball tonight. The most pleasing thing was the way we handled the wind. We defended to the big side and backed our skill.
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Australia defeat New Zealand in first T20I by six wickets
Well that was cold-blooded cricketing murder in the first degree. Australia have simply strolled to victory in the first of this three-match series at Bay Oval. In the end they had 185 runs on the board with 21 balls up their sleeves and six wickets in hand and New Zealand had no answers to the slaughter unfolding before their eyes.
The carnage was led by Australia’s captain Mitchell Marsh who clouted a match-winning 85 came from 43 balls with nine fours, five sixes and came at a strike rate of 197.67. He had great support from Travis Head (31 from 18), Matt Short (29 from 18) and an unbeaten cameo from Tim David (21 not out).
New Zealand were blown away from the get-go, with Matt Henry the best of a bad lot with 2-43 and Zak Foulkes and Kyle Jamieson chiming in with a (very expensive) wicket each. The home side can take confidence from their batting, with Tim Robinson’s magnificent maiden T20I century – just the third New Zealander to achieve the feat against Australia – showing his Kiwi comrades that they can take it to the Aussie attack.
17th over: Australia 185-4 (David 21, Stoinis 4) David tries to end it with a final strike but the Foulkes ball is slower and the big Aussie miscues the killing blow. Another bouncer, this time to Alex Carey and it’s caught the edge! It leaves Marcus Stoinis to swagger out as if he’s on a Mount Maunganui dance floor. He duly does the twist to the first delivery he faces and swings it to the rope to end the bloodbath.
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WICKET! Carey c Chapman b Foulkes 7 (Australia 181-4)
That ends a rotten week for Alex Carey. One run for victory and he’s played a half shot to a wild bouncer and tapped it straight to the ‘keeper. Awful to watch and even worse to experience. Our condolences, Alex.
16th over: Australia 180-3 (David 20, Carey 7) Australia need 14 from these final 30 balls. Can new Zealand conjure a miracle? Bracewell tries floating it full and wide to David and it works once until the umpire calls him on it and requests a reprise. David is okay with that. He jumps on the ensuring short ball and swings it to the crowd on the hill at deep square. Two runs to win.
15th over: Australia 168-3 (David 13, Carey 6) Tim David has a job to do now. He’s looking a bit sheepish after sending Marsh back on a certain run the ball before his dismissal. Did his brain fade pay a partt in his skipper’s dismissal? Alex Carey is the new batter and he taps his welcome bouncer to the fence for a tidy FOUR. David finishes the over with an explosive SIX over midwicket. That sounded like a rifle-shot off the bat.
WICKET! Marsh c Robinson b Henry 85 (Australia 157-2)
Mitch Marsh mauls it over the infield but is caught on the deep cover fence by Matt henry. Good catch and the end of an incredible power hitting display by the Australian captain. His 85 came from 43 balls and featured nine fours, five sixes and came at the piffling strike rate of 197.67.
14th over: Australia 157-2 (Marsh 85, David 8) Normal service resumes as Mitch Marsh dances down to Kyle Jamieson and sends a legside half-volley through cover for FOUR. Tim David clearly doesn’t want to break a sweat tonight. He taps a couple of singles and thinks about moving his dinner reservation forward an hour.
Pow! Biff! Boff! I knew this batting reminded me of something…
13th over: Australia 150-2 (Marsh 79, David 6) A shock as New Zealand yield only five runs from an over and Marsh and David fail to hit a boundary.
12th over: Australia 145-2 (Marsh 75, David 5) The Singapore Sting known as Tim David walks out and gets going with a single, leaving Mitch Marsh to roll on with a cleaved pull shot behind square which beats the desperate dive of the sweeper. Thart’s his eight four of the innings and he’s getting a tad tired so he lets David swing one to the midwicket fence to finish another desultory New Zealand over.
Australia now need 37 runs from 48 balls for victory.
WICKET! Short lbw b Jamieson 29 (Australia 135-2)
Slower ball by Kyle Jamieson does the job on Matt Short! He’s gone for a well made 29 from 18 balls. New Zealand strike again but it’s too little too late at this stage. And it brings Australia’s form batter, Tim David, to the slaughter.
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11th over: Australia 135-1 (Marsh 70, Short 29) Australia need 60 runs from 60 balls. Matt Henry has the 11th over and Matt Short rolls his wrists on the first for a single to deep square leg. That brings Marsh on strike. He swings hard but hits it into his own feet. A single ensues. Short picks up the cudgels on the third. Henry tries an off-cutter but it’s wide and Short meets it on the up and puts it into the fence on the bounce. He takes a breather and lets Marsh get back to the buffet. And the big man fills his boots, standing tall and clattering that into the wind and onto the hill.
10th over: Australia 122-1 (Marsh 63, Short 23) Bracewell is back to apply the brakes. But cruising to victory isn’t Mitch Marsh’s style, he prefers to crash his way to wins. And so it goes as Bracewell puts it on leg stump and Marsh shuffles those big hooves outside the line and pulverises it down the ground for his fourth SIX of this innings! But Bracewell recovers well from that early brutalisation, yielding three stolen singles and a leg-bye to keep the damage to 11-runs.
9th over: Australia 111-1 (Marsh 55, Short 21) Short takes a single from Foulkes’ first. Marsh takes a quicker path to glory, crashing the second ball off the tee, down the ground and over the fence for a magnificent SIX. Hold the pose, Bison. That was glorious. So why not try it again? This time he pumps Foulkes over deep cover for anotjer maximum. That’s MItch Marsh’s FIFTY and it comes from just 23 balls.
Australia need 71 runs from 66 balls for the win.
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8th over: Australia 90-1 (Marsh 42, Short 14) Time for a change of pace. Michael Bracewell, the right-arm off-spinner from Wairarapa is into the attack. And with immediate effect as Marsh tries to whack him down the ground but only find Matt henry on the half-volley. Good effort from the fielder there who could’ve backed off and saved the boundary but chose to attack the ball to give himself a chance at the catch. No dice but positive intent goes a long way. Six singles from this sublime slow over.
7th over: Australia 84-1 (Marsh 39, Short 11) That’s one way to shuck the rust! Matt Short takes Jamieson’s fast first ball on off stump and crashes it down the ground with a beautiful straight drive. And that’s another way to do it! Second ball is short of a length and Short, steady as a sniper, steps down and launches it over the midwicket fence for SIX. A run bye brings Marsh on strike and he continues on his merry way by carving Jamieson over the off-side infield for another boundary, his eighth of the innings.
6th over: Australia 71-0 (Marsh 34, Short 1) Can Matt Henry stop this onslaught? Not on the evidence of his first ball which is wide and which Head dispatches to the rope at third man. Second ball, same result but a different shot. This time Head hops onto one foot to heave it over mid-on for another FOUR. Three times lucky? No. This time he’s skied it. Head’s dismissal brings Matt Short to the crease for his first innings since February. Can he shuck the rust and start his quest for the World Cup tonight?
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WICKET! Head c Chapman b Henry 31 (Australia 67-1)
Third time lucky it isn’t for Travis Head. Henry belts it into the deck but it’s a slow-ball bouncer and Head falls for it, hook, line and sinker. His pull shot hits the splice and sails into the safe hands of Chapman. The Black Caps have their first! And didn’t they need it?
5th over: Australia 59-0 (Marsh 34, Head 27) Duffy gets a second over but after coughing up 12 from his over, he’s immediately thumped over the infield for FOUR by Head. A lot of hanging heads and teapot stances among the New Zealand players right now. How do they stop this onslaught? The Australian FIFTY is up and it’s come from 27 balls at a run-rate of 11.33. And now Marsh makes it another double-digit over with a glorious drive over mid-off for FOUR. He ices that shot with another from the top-shelf, a lofted wedge that trickles to the boundary.
4th over: Australia 45-0 (Marsh 25, Head 18) It was never going to last. And sure enough, after seven circumspect deliveries for four runs, Travis Head opens the shoulders and tonks Kyle Jamieson down the ground for FOUR. That flew back over the bowler’s head, no mean feat given Jamieson stands six-foot-six in the old measure. Like all good quicks he digs the next one in short. And like all master batters, Head leans back and ramps him to the fence for FOUR. Now Head is really away as he hoiks it over point for another boundary. A little luck and a lot of skills in that flurry but it leaves Australia flying at 45 without loss and two overs to go in the PowerPlay.
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3rd over: Australia 31-0 (Marsh 25, Head 4) Almost a run-out! Head dropped and ran and mid-on swooped and threw, narrowly missing the stumps at the bowler’s end. Zakary Foulkes has zip and swing already here and he hoops one back at Head who is so far content to push singles. And why not, when Mitch Marsh is walloping massive shots down the ground for SIX. You don’t bowl slower balls to the Bison, young fella.
2nd over: Australia 22-0 (Marsh 18, Head 2) Big appeal to the first ball of the Jacob Duffy spell which Marsh chased down the legside. But it had the thud of pad rather than the click of willow and the umpire shows nil interest. Marsh dead-bats a late cut for a single from the fourth to give Head a sniff at the burly Southlander. Head isn’t fussed. He taps a run and leaves Marsh to face the final balls with a BANG over mid-on and a BIFF over point for back-to-back boundaries.
1st over: Australia 10-0 (Marsh 9, Head 1) Captain Mitch Marsh will face the first over and it’s from Matt Henry. He tests the measure of this pitch with a look at the first and then has a heave at the second, cutting hard and onerous to the rope for FOUR. Third ball is straighter but Marsh cleaves it off the inside edge to the onside boundary. How does Henry answer this? He takes out his slip and puts it wide. Marsh, content, taps a single. Here’s Travis Head. He flashes at the first, which is tight and dipping back. But the moustachioed slugger squeaks it backward of square for a cheeky run anyway.
New Zealand set Australia 182 for victory in first T20I
That was a good ding-dong battle between these ancient rivals. Australia threw the early punches and had New Zealand reeling at 6-3 after 10 deliveries. But Tim Robinson led the fightback. The 23-year-old was in just his 13th T20I for his country but he batted like a seasoned pro to strike a maiden century and lead his side to a strong total of 181. Daryl Mitchell (34) and Bevon Jacobs (20) lent a hand but it was Robinson’s show.
Australia would’ve enjoyed the early work of Josh Hazlewood and Ben Dwarshius as they took three early wickets. But when the change bowlers arrived they got punished as Robinson and Mitchell piled on a 92-run partnership. Adam Zampa bowled superbly, put the stoppers on the gush of runs and his 0-27 should’ve read 2-27 if not for some clumsy catching in the field. But 181 is very achievable for this stacked Australian side.
Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh have the pads on. How will they play this chase?
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20th over: New Zealand 181-6 (Robinson 106, Foulkes 0) Final over. Can Robinson get his century? Or will the Australians deny him in this superb rearguard action? After three singles from Dwarshuis, captain Bracewell attempts a suicidal run and is caught short by the fast throw by Matt Short to the bowler who whips the bails off. Gone! What can Robinson muster? Fifth ball? A flicked FOUR and a CENTURY to Tim Robinson! Well done young man. 100 off 65 balls and a maiden T20I century. And why n ot celebrate with a SIX from the final delivery? Dwarshuis celebrates his rival’s feat with full bunger which the Kiwi striker smashes over forward square for SIX. Nice finish, New Zealand!
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WICKET! Bracewell run out Short/ Dwarshuis 9 (New Zealand 171-6)
Captain Bracewell is gone! That was great work in the field by the Aussies after some blown chances. New Zealand crumbling at the close.
WICKET! Jacobs run out Carey/ Head) 20 (New Zealand 162-5)
Jacobs is run out trying for three! Brilliant from Stoinis and Head combining in the outfield. Stoinis dived and flicked it through the legs to Head who, angry after grassing two catches, fired the throw to Carey whose fast gloves beat the batter’s dive.
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19th over: New Zealand 158-4 (Robinson 91, Jacobs 19) Australia have recovcered well in this second half of this innings. Remember, New Zealand had 93 tuns on the board with seven in wickets in hand at the halfway mark. But despite Robinson advancing to 92, they’ve been pegged back by Zampa, Hazlewood and Bartlett. The latter has a third over now and he leaks two singles before a dot. Now there’s a bash to the boundary where Stoinis cruises around, hurls it back before crashing into the rope. Head recovers the ball to throw a thunderbolt return to Carey who whips off the bails. Jacobs dives but the bails are alight and this will be very close…
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18th over: New Zealand 158-4 (Robinson 91, Jacobs 19) The Hoff returns for the all-important 18th over. Two runs follows two dot balls before Robinson opens the shoulders and biffs a thick edge over slips to the third man boundary. He’s in the nineties! Hazlewood recovers to give up only a single from his final two deliveries and closes his account at 1-23, another excellent return.
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17th over: New Zealand 151-4 (Robinson 84, Jacobs 19) Bevon Jacobs is a big-hitter but he hasn’t got going yet and sits on a paltry 17 from 18 balls. But his luck is in as Travis Head DROPS another catch in the deep. Head was chasing and leaping and grassing. Hells bells. Now Tim David has DROPPED ANOTHER CATCH on the rope. That was straight down his throat but David somehow let it loose as he fell. He confesses straight-up, waves the umpires away. Two spilled chances in two balls for Australia. What’s going on out there? Robinson doesn’t care. He cashes in with a massive SIX five rows back. Run rate is 8.80.
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16th over: New Zealand 136-4 (Robinson 74, Jacobs 16) Xavier Bartlett will close it out. His first over went for 15. Can he find his line and arrest this momentum swing. He gets Jacob swinging and missing early. Bartlett hasd the powerful build of the allround athlete he is, having been born to a South Australian state AFL player and won plenty of swimming medals as a backstroker in his youth. He’s slinging them at 130kph today and keeps the Kiwis in check with a seven-run over.
15th over: New Zealand 129-4 (Robinson 71, Jacobs 13) Unsurprisingly, Zampa remains in the attack for what will be his final over. And he almost has Robinson bowled AND/ OR stumped as an attempted charge goes horribly wrong. Instead of smashing it out of the ground, the batter air-swings and the ball skims the bails and eludes Alex Carey’s gloves, running away for a bye. That’s it for Zamps. He finishes with 0-27.
14th over: New Zealand 124-4 (Robinson 70, Jacobs 9) Marsh returns to Dwarshuis, his destroyer from the early overs. The NSW quick was on a hat-trick in his first over after scalping Conway and Chapman. Things go to plan early, with just two eked singles from the first four balls. But then Robinson jumps on an attempted yorker and drives it majestically to the mid-off boundary. Still a tidy over for Australia.
13th over: New Zealand 116-4 (Robinson 64, Jacobs 9) Zampa puts the clamps on with a fine over that yields four singles and a dot… and ALMOST A CATCH! Travis Head has dropped an edged chip from Jacobs at gully from the final delivery. Head caught it two-handed in his dive but spilled it as he landed on his elbows. Will Australia rue that miss?
12th over: New Zealand 111-4 (Robinson 60, Jacobs 7) Sensing some Kiwi blood in the water, Mitch Marsh brings back Stoinis to shake things up. Instead he serves up slop – two wides and four easy runs before new batter Bevon Jacobs lights up at a wide full toss and carts it to the boundary at point for FOUR. Another four carefree runs flow from the final balls in a dreadful few minutes which leaves Stoinis 0-27 after two overs.
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WICKET! Mitchell c David b Short 34 (New Zealand 99-4)
Mitchell holes out! That’s what Australia needed to kick off this second 10 overs. Still smarting after that dropped chance, Matt Short dropped it, er, short again and Mitchell swung for the rafters but got too much loft on it. Tim David took the catch on the rope.
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11th over: New Zealand 93-3 (Robinson 52, Mitchell 33) Second half of New Zealand’s innings commences and they have recovered magnificently since slumping to 6-3 inside 10 balls. Short will kick us off and straight he drops short. Fourth ball drops short and is smashed… and DROPPED! A life for Robinson.
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10th over: New Zealand 93-3 (Robinson 52, Mitchell 33) Zampa returns and his first ball is wide but not called as such. Mitchell drives two from the second, content to play second fiddle to his freewheeling partner. Zampa goes wide again but Robinson gets the toe-end of the bat to it for a single. Fourth ball is a floater and Mitchell swipes across the line but survives with another run. Zampa has 130 wickets at this level and Australia need one to break this flourishing 83-run partnership. Instead the little leggie tosses one up. Daryl Mitchell coolly steps down and swats it down the ground for FOUR. Ouch!
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9th over: New Zealand 84-3 (Robinson 50, Mitchell 27) Here’s a surprise. Matt Short has been tossed the ball in his 15th T20I and first since injuring himself in February. Robinson greets him with a stabbed pull to square leg and a huge drive for FOUR. Mitchell taps a single, leaving Robinson to do likewise and bring up his FIFTY RUNS from 31 balls. A fine knock given the woeful platform his openers set him.
8th over: New Zealand 73-3 (Robinson 40, Mitchell 25) Adam Zampa is into the attack… and OUT OF THE GROUND. That long hop first ball flies out of the middle of Robinson’s bat. But Zampa finds his zip quickly, beating Robinson with a slider that shaves off stump. Thiurd ball is a dot. Fourth is driven for a single. Time for Mitchell to get a look. Maybe not. He chips a run and gives his partner strike. New Zealand have fought back superbly here. Marsh is forced to keep ringing the bowling changes to rediscover the mojo of those first two overs.
7th over: New Zealand 64-3 (Robinson 34, Mitchell 24) Sending a swing in momentum, it’s another bowling change from Captain Bison. It’ll be right-arm paceman Xavier Bartlett into the attack. The 26-year South Australian is into his second year as an international cricketer. He leaks three singles before gushing a SIX. Superb handspeed from Robinson who met that ball way outside off stump and cut it high and hard over the fence. And now he pouches FOUR. This time it’s a hammer-blow pull shot which the rope fielder dives for in vain. Great power hitting by the Wellington youngster.
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6th over: New Zealand 49-3 (Robinson 22, Mitchell 22) Here comes Marcus Stoinis for a bowl. The 36-year-old allrounder is in his 75th T20I for Australia. Mitchell gets tricksy to the first, reverse scooping it over Carey for a single. Robinson drives two runs to David who is at deep mid on. Third ball is slower… and faster through the air AKA a big SIX. Great shot by Robinson. And now he cuts hard for another FOUR from the fifth ball. That was poor from Stoinis whose slow off-cutters are fuzzing off the pitch as buffet balls. Another excellent over from the Black Caps – 15 runs from it. Run rate is now up over eight.
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5th over: New Zealand 34-3 (Robinson 8, Mitchell 21) Hazlewood starts his third over with 1-12 to his name. Mitchell tucks a single from the first and Robinson swats another couple from a miscued pull shot. Now Hazlewood slides the next two in faster and straighter. Robinson jumps back to defend and there’s no run from either ball. Fifth balkl is shorter and finally Robinson nails a pull. It runs to the rope but pulls up short. Two runs. Good comeback by the bowler on the last, fast and full and nearly edged onto the stumps by Robinson.
4th over: New Zealand 29-3 (Robinson 4, Mitchell 17) Can the Kiwis come back from this awful start? Neither batter looks too phased. Dwarshuis finds his third ball to Mitchell inside edged to the third man rope. FOUR. Lucky shot but with two overs and three balls left in the PowerPlay they’ve got to play their shots. Mitchell miscues another one, lofting over the infield for another two. He’s up to 13 without middling one… but he middles this one. BANG! Straight down the ground, into the breeze and just inside the rope. Handy over for the home side – 14 runs from it.
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3rd over: New Zealand 15-3 (Robinson 3, Mitchell 7) Three wickets in two overs. Whjat a start it’s been to this T20. Now Hazlewood returns. “The Hoff” has new batter Daryl MItchell in his sights. And Mitchell seemingly has his own sights set. He calmly slices wide of the slips for FOUR. That was not a bad ball by the NSW quick, back of a length outside off, but Mitchell flashed and flashed hard. Valuable runs for the Black Caps.
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2nd over: New Zealand 8-3 (Robinson 1, Mitchell 2) Conway crunches a flat bat single from the first Ben Dwarshuis over. The 31-year-old quick has been a stalwalt for the Sydney Sixers in the BBL but this is just his 11th T20I. Two singles preceded the corker yorker that uprooted Conway and then the slightly streaky legside ball that caught Chapman’s edge.
WICKET! Chapman c Carey b Dwarshuis 0 (New Zealand 6-3)
Chapman is strangled down the leg side and the Australians go up. Umpire says NO. Mitch Marsh says ‘Let’s take another look’. And YES, sure enough there’s a wee tremor on the Snicko. Good grief! New Zealand are three wickets down after just 10 balls and Dwarshuis is on a hat trick!
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WICKET! Devon Conway b Ben Dwarshuis 1 (New Zealand 6-2)
Ambitious shot = disastrous result! Conway is clean bowled by Dwarshuis and New Zealand are in early trouble at Bay Oval with an MIA out for middle stump.
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WICKET! Tim Seifert c. Marsh b Hazlewood 4 (New Zealand 4-1)
First time it worked a charm. Second time? Not so much! Hazlewood varies the pace and Seifert dollies his crash shot to Australia’s skipper at mid wicket. First blood Australia!
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1st over: New Zealand 4-1 (Robinson 0, Conway 0) Blustery conditions for Hazlewood’s first over but if anyone can master them it’s the masterly Bendemeer Bullet. First ball is a dot. Second ball is a SHOT! Seifert gives himself room and flays it to the rope. He’s hitting with the breeze so will chance his hand. After Seifert holes out it’s new batter, right-hander Tim Robinson who sees out the over.
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Josh Hazlewood has the new ball and Tim Seifert will face the first. Here we go, folks!
Back at Bay Oval, the wind is whipping the young flag bearers off their feet. Umpires Chris Brown and Shaun Haig are taking the ground first, followed by the players.
The Australian team are wearing black armbands in honour of Gordon Carey, the father of wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who passed away last week after a long battle with leukemia.
Time for the anthems…
A reminder that today’s action is the first of a Trans Tasman double-header, albeit on different continents. The Australian women’s team play the White Ferns at Holkar Stadium at Indore at the Women’s World Cup in India at 7.30pm AEST.
Here’s how those two teams match up:
Australia: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham.
New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Flora Devonshire, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Bree Illing, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu.
Australia is aiming to win a seventh 50-over World Cup title, and become the first women’s team to claim consecutive titles since 1988!
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Good news: the weather Gods have been kind. We are under blue skies.
There’s a party atmosphere at Bay Oval, the 12,000-seat arena for today’s match. It has been cheekily rebranded “Beige Oval” to mark 20 years since the first men’s T20I between New Zealand and Australia in February 2005.
That historic match was won by Australia by 44 runs thanks to Ricky Ponting’s cracking 98 not out (55 balls, eight fours, five sixes) and Michael Kaprowicz’s 4-29.
Interesting to see the match was played at Eden Park, a venue to send shivers down Australian spines. The Wallabies haven’t won there since 1986 and their 33-24 loss last week extends the All Blacks record at their “Fortress” to 52 Tests across 31 years!
What about that Hamish Marshall afro?
COIN TOSS: Mitchell Marsh has won the toss and Australia will bowl first
Clearly, Mitch Marsh is keen to back his side’s ability to chase down totals. He’s given the Kiwis first dibs at this wicket and will unleash his wrecking crew after dark.
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New Zealand have also suffered some turbulence in their own camp.
Today they are missing captain Mitchell Santner (abdominal injury), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), Finn Allen (foot), Adam Milne (ankle), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring) and Kane Williamson (unavailable). However, they can take heart from the return of pacemen Kyle Jamieson and Ben Sears.
The big news is that the home side’s preparations for today’s T20I opener have been rocked by a freak accident to their own star allrounder, Rachin Ravindra.
The 25-year-old collided with an advertising hoarding during a fielding drill yesterday and suffered a deep laceration to his face that has required stitches. Ravindra is officially out for the series and the Black Caps have called experienced all-rounder Jimmy Neesham into the squad as his replacement.
New Zealand coach Rob Walter said:
We’re all really disappointed for Rachin to be forced to miss the series. He sustained a major laceration to his upper lip and nose area which required specialist and intricate stitching and will take time to heal. Rachin is obviously an important player for us, but his health and wellbeing is our top priority, and so the decision was made to send him home to recover with an eye to being available for the England series in two weeks’ time.
There are some notable INS and OUTS for the Australians.
Alex Carey joined the squad on Saturday following the passing of his father Gordon. Wicketkeeper-batter Carey was a late call-up after Josh Inglis suffered a calf injury last month. Also arriving late was Josh Phillipe, the Big Bash favourite who has played 12 T20 matches for Australia and been in red-hot form touch recently for Australia A.
Phillipe comes in for allrounder Glenn Maxwell whose arm was broken yesterday while bowling in the nets. The 36-year-old veteran of 124 T20Is was struck on the right wrist by teammate Mitchell Owen. Anyone who saw Owen’s 39-ball century in this year’s Big Bash final can guess at the force of the impact. End result? The Big Show is a no-show.
It’s another cruel twist for Maxwell who broke his leg in 2022 skylarking at a mate’s 50th birthday party and missed the 2022-23 summer. Maxwell also missed the England clash at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India after concussing himself in a spill from a golf cart.
Turning 37 in a fortnight, Maxwell is now racing Father Time to recover in time for the five-match T20 series v India back in Australia. With Cameron Green prioritising red-ball preparation ahead of the Ashes, it leaves Marcus Stoinis, Owen and David to do the heavy lifting today.
In better news, opener Matthew Short is back from injury to play his first T20Is since February’s Champions Trophy. As for the bowlers, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood and Xavier Bartlett will fill the gap left by recent T20I retirement of Mitchell Starc, with hat-trick hero Nathan Ellis missing the series due to paternity leave.
Australia’s chief destroyer of late has been Tim David, the Singapore-born slugger who quit their national team in 2020 to switch allegiances to the green and gold in 2022. David smashed his first T20 century in July with a blitzkrieg 102 not out (11 sixes and 6 fours) from only 37 deliveries. It was the joint third fastest T20I century in history.
The 29-year-old then lit up the series-opener against South Africa in Darwin last month when he unleashed eight sixes in an innings of 83 off 52 deliveries, helping Australia recover from 6-75 to reach 178, before restricting South Africa to 9-161 in a 17-run win.
David’s destructive ways have masked some fragility in the Australian lineup of late. In the West Indies series last month Mitch Marsh’s men were seven wickets down in three of the T20Is before David calmly hauled them back to thumping victories.
But where will Australia bat their weapon of mass destruction? David has made his name as a T20 finisher but batted No 3 for the St Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League. And with Josh Inglis, Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell missing from this Australian lineup, cricket fans will no doubt hope to see the big fella promoted.
Today’s teams…
New Zealand: 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Tim Robinson, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 Bevon Jacobs, 7 Michael Bracewell (capt), 8 Zak Foulkes, 9 Kyle Jamieson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Jacob Duffy
Australia: 1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Matt Short, 4 Tim David, 5 Alex Carey (wk), 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Mitch Owen, 8 Ben Dwarshuis, 9 Xavier Bartlett, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Preamble
Greetings cricket fans! Welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the T20 men’s international between Australia and New Zealand at Mount Maunganui on the North Island.
Call it a whirlwind. Call it a whistle-stop. But today’s clash is the first of three games in four days at Tauranga’s Bay Oval, with rapid sequels to follow on Friday and Saturday. Up for grabs? The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy which Australia won 3-0 last February.
This smash-and-grab format suits the Australians, who arrive here in murderous form. Since failing to make the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup, Mitchell Marsh’s side has been on a real tear, winning 15 of their last 17 T20s.
Australia have been the most attacking team in the Powerplay overs since the end of that World Cup, with a strike rate of 195.92 in the first six overs. That’s light years ahead of the next best team to play 10 T20s in the same period, England with 168.84.
However, New Zealand are on a hot streak of their own, having won nine of their last 11 in 2025. In their T20 tri-series in Harare against Zimbabwe and South Africa this July, the Black Caps went unbeaten, beating both rivals twice before pipping the South Africans by three runs in the final.
And with these great Trans Tasman rivals currently contesting the Bledisloe Cup in rugby union – New Zealand lead the series 1-0 with the rematch in Perth this Saturday – there is plenty of fierce yet friendly fire in the air.
Who will take the ANZAC biscuits? Join us at 4.14pm AEST/ 7pm local for the first ball. Drop me a line this arvo if you fancy: angus.fontaine.casual@theguardian.com
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