FANTASY
Follow UsNew Zealand and Australia will face off in the fourth T20 International at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Friday (March 5). The hosts had a 2-0 lead after the first two matches but Australia showed what they are capable of, coming back into the series with a massive 64-run victory in the third T20I, also at the Westpac Stadium.
Australia also have a clear edge when it comes to past results between the two teams in the format – winning eight out of 12 matches, including three out of the last five.
T20I HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 12 | New Zealand – 4 Wins | Australia – 8 Wins
Last 5 Matches: New Zealand – 2 Wins | Australia – 3 Wins
Ground details and team combination
Since 2018, the Sky Stadium (formerly Westpac Stadium) has hosted five T20I matches and the average run-rate in those games has been 8.5 which is on the lower side when you compare it with other stadiums in New Zealand. The bowling average (21.8) and strike rate (15.5) here is the best from a bowling viewpoint across all stadiums in New Zealand that have hosted T20Is since the start of 2018. Australia scored 208 in the third T20I but New Zealand bundling out for 144 kept the stats in favor of the bowlers. It is also one of the bigger cricket venues in New Zealand.
In the 10 T20I innings in the aforementioned time period at this venue, spinners have a better average (17.3 vs 26.6) and strike rate (13 v 18.8) when compared to pacers. Ashton Agar picked a six-wicket haul in the previous game while Ish Sodhi also chipped in with two scalps. In addition, Adam Zampa also struck once in two overs.
Although, pacers also have a good chance to pick wickets during the death overs, hence we have picked two spinners and three pacers for this contest.
Suggested Team
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we come up with six different teams that could fetch crucial points.
Captain
The in-form Devon Conway appeared in great touch even when New Zealand collapsed to 144 all out. He scored a handy 38 before perishing under the pressure of the mounting asking rate. He averages 147.3 in his last seven T20 outings (including the Super Smash 2020/21). In addition, he knows the venue like the back of his hand as the Westpac Stadium is Conway’s home ground.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Conway could score 18-41 runs in this match.
X-Factors
Doesn’t matter what his form is like but Glenn Maxwell is always a punt to bet on. He started the series with scores of 3 and 1 but recovered to score a ballistic 70 off 31 balls in the third T20I. Maxwell’s form has gone up and down since the IPL 2020 but he still averages 29.5 in 19 innings since then, alongside striking at 148.7. He will also be bowling to the Kiwi left-handers - Conway and James Neesham - though, Maxwell is yet to be amongst wickets this series.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Maxwell could score 11-28 runs and pick 0-1 wickets in this match.
Martin Guptill is back in form. He suffered a lean patch where his top score in 11 innings prior to the second T20I was 34. He averaged 16.8 during this period. However, Guptill left it all behind in the second T20I where he scored 97. In the third game, he showed it wasn’t a fluke, scoring 43 off 28 balls. Guptill averages 34.8 in 12 T20s at the Westpac stadium and won’t be a bad bet to be your vice-captain.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Guptill could score 15-38 runs in this match.
Ashton Agar bagged the best bowling figures in T20Is by an Australian bowler in the last match - 6/30. On a ground which has numbers in favor of spin bowlers, Agar will again be Aaron Finch’s go to man during the middle overs.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Agar could pick 1-2 wickets in this match.
