Follow UsIn what is one of the biggest home summers for Ireland, the home side will take on New Zealand for a three-match ODI series followed by another T20 series. The first ODI of the leg will be played at The Village in Dublin - marking the end of a brief hiatus of the side in the 50-Over format. Under head coach Heinrich Malan, they played interesting cricket but failed to win the games from close quarters. If they continue to play the brand of cricket they have showcased so far, a win is not too far-fetched a proposition, especially looking at the thin resources that New Zealand have at their disposal.
Ground Details
The Village Malahide has hosted 17 ODI matches in their history in which batters have scored at an average of 27.1 runs per wicket. If the India T20Is were anything to go by, then there are reasons to believe that a lot of runs were on offer in the ODIs as well. In ODIs, the average first batting score is a basic 227 but the average winning score batting score rises to 290. Hence, it is always advisable to chase here, and that trend should continue.
Pacers have had the maximum impact at the venue, with a staggering 87.4% of wickets going to their kitty. They have accounted for 5.1 wickets per game whereas spinners have just 0.7 wickets at their disposal. Hence, it is understandable who will call the shots in the game.
Suggested Team
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captain and vice-captain suggestions
Grand League: Tom Latham (Captain) and Andy Balbirine (VC)
Small League: Paul Stirling (Captain) and Tom Latham (VC
Grand League Punts
* In the last three years, Tom Latham is doing some incredible things as a batter, having averaged 48.67, 128, and 171 respectively. His incredible form has helped New Zealand massively, hence your money should be relied on how Latham bats. With the kind of form he has showcased recently, don’t be surprised if he carries our fantasy team single-handedly.
* It always helps to have a star bowler doing great things for you upfront and Lockie Ferguson always delivers. Since 2019, Lockie Ferguson has played just one ODI but in the shortest format of the game, the pacer has shown his extreme ability to hurry the batters and demolish them single-handedly. For the Irish side, whose ability against extreme pace is sill in doubt, Ferguson can be the man to bring home maximum points.
* Pick Michael Bracewell in your side - his ability to chip in both with the bat and ball consistently makes him a solid contender for the all-rounder role in the New Zealand side as well as our fantasy side. Against the Netherlands, when he failed with the bat, he made up for that with some terrific bowling and that is a huge positive from whichever angle you’d look at it.
Here are the Top 10 Criclytics Projections
Probable XIs:
Ireland: Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie (c), Gareth Delany, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Andy McBrine, Mark Adair, Josh Little, Craig Young
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c & wk), Martin Guptill, Will Young, Finn Allen, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson