After some entertaining and dramatic matches in the first round, the action now shifts to Sydney as Australia and New Zealand gear up for the first match of Super 12s of the T20 World Cup. The defending champions have a strong squad for the tournament and they will back themselves to win the first match. However, the home team will not want to take the Kiwi side lightly as the Blackcaps were the finalists of the last concluded T20 World Cup. A good batting pitch is expected for the encounter. The average score at this venue is 162, with the average first innings score being around 165. The skipper winning the toss might look to have a bowl first and chase the total later on.
The Australian team members are David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood and the New Zealand team members are Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne, Trent Boult.
David Warner has been in excellent touch with the bat lately. The left-handed batter can be very damaging with the bat, especially during the field restrictions. Warner will want to make a big score in the tournament opener. The experienced left-arm pacer from New Zealand, Trent Boult will look to do some early damage with the ball against Australia. Boult has been a prominent new-ball bowler and has been a match-winner for his country. He will be a bowler to watch out for in the upcoming game.
