Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

NZ vs AUS 1st T20I Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | NZ vs AUS 1st T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | New Zealand vs Australia 1st T20 Key Players | Hagley Oval Pitch Report

These traditional trans-tasman rivals, who played the first ever T20I back in 2005, will meet for just their 10th meeting in the format. So, a five-match T20I series is not only a welcome change for that reason, but also given that there is a World T20 coming up later this year.

For New Zealand, who are ranked sixth, the key will be to continue building the momentum we saw against West Indies and Pakistan earlier this season. The Black Caps won both series, losing just one out of five games in the process. The likes of Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips were a breath of fresh air, and now the home side will be bolstered by the addition of Kane Williamson.

Australia, who decided not to change their squad after postponing their South Africa Test tour, face five key challenges in this series. They are missing key experience, but eyes will be locked to how the BBL stars perform on the international stage. Also, if Aaron Finch feels refreshed and rested, Australia certainly have additional potential to score big in good conditions.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

New Zealand:

• Kane Williamson returns to New Zealand’s T20I side. Interestingly, he has a poor record vs Australia (4 matches, 42 runs, avg. 10.50, SR 80.76). So, it will be interesting to see if he can fire right away.
• Martin Guptill has the second-most runs in NZ-AUS T20Is (7 matches, 217 runs, avg. 31.00, SR 145.63). Also, Guptill has enjoyed success on this ground in ODIs (401 runs, avg. 66.83, SR 123.00), so the key will be transferring this over to T20Is.
• Tim Seifert recently scored two half-centuries in the three-match T20I series vs Pakistan. Devon Conway was superb in the 2020/21 Super Smash, hitting 455 runs 10 matches at an average of 65 and SR 135.82.
• Glenn Phillips’ 2020/21 T20I season: 22 (12), 108 (72), 23 (24) and 31 (35). He will be key.
• Kyle Jamieson recently went for a huge 15cr in the IPL Auction, so it will be interesting to see how this impacts his performance. He recently took five wickets in five matches (econ. 8.05) in the Super Smash.
• Tim Southee took nine wickets in his last four T20Is vs West Indies & Pakistan. However, Southee has taken just three wickets in five games vs Australia (econ. 10.36). Key battle.

Australia:

• How will Aaron Finch perform after a poor BBL campaign? In two T20Is against New Zealand, Finch has struck a total of 54 runs (36* and 18*) at a strike rate of 200.
• Josh Philippe was recently awarded the player of BBL 10, and is set to make his debut. He struck 508 runs in 16 matches at an average of 31.75 and SR 149.41.
• Matthew Wade performed brilliantly vs India in late 2020. He struck 58 (32) and 80 (53) in his last two matches.
• Eyes will be on Glenn Maxwell after being sold for a huge sum in the IPL Auction. He was outstanding vs India late last year, scoring 45 (19), 63* (29), 59 (38), 2 (3), 22 (13) and 54 (36) in the six limited overs matches.
• Ashton Agar looks set to return from injury. He has taken five wickets in four games vs NZ (econ. 7.58), and had an excellent 2020 (13 wickets in six matches, econ. 6.75).
• Andrew Tye has taken eight wickets in three T20Is vs New Zealand.
• Jhye Richardson also went big in the recent IPL Auction, after taking 29 wickets in 17 games in BBL 10. Key bowler.

Stats and Facts

• Australia lead 7-2 in T20Is vs New Zealand.
• The scoring rate in T20Is in New Zealand is 9.08 in the last two years (16 matches).
• Kane Williamson has a good record on this ground in ODIs (6 matches, 251 runs, avg. 50.20). So, can he transfer this form to T20Is?
• Glenn Maxwell has struck 113 runs in four innings vs NZ (avg. 56.50, SR 143.03).

Possible Playing 11

New Zealand: 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Tim Seifert (wk), 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Devon Conway, 5. Glenn Phillips, 6. Jimmy Neesham, 7. Mitchell Santner, 8. Kyle Jamieson, 9. Tim Southee, 10. Ish Sodhi, 11. Trent Boult

Australia: 1. Aaron Finch (c), 2. Josh Philippe, 3. Matthew Wade (wk), 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Marcus Stoinis, 6. Mitchell Marsh/Ashton Turner, 7. Ashton Agar, 8. Jhye Richardson, 9. Kane Richardson, 10. Adam Zampa, 11. Jason Behrendorff/AJ Tye

Hagley Oval Pitch Report and Weather

Only one T20I has previously been played on this ground (NZ vs England, 2019). New Zealand’s 153 was chased down easily by England (154/3).

Usually, this pitch is quite true for batting, so the team batting first will want 180+. The weather forecast looks good.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

New Zealand, at home, look good for a victory against an inexperienced Australian side. However, this Aussie side does have excitement written all over it, so the Kiwis will have to be on their game in what could be a close match.

Thanks for reading!