New Zealand host England in 1st T20I: Preview and stats
What's the story
New Zealand and England are all set to clash in the first T20I match of their three-match series. The game will take place at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on October 18. This will be the first time these two teams face off in a T20I since September 2023. While New Zealand are coming off a T20I series defeat against Australia, England thrashed Ireland 2-0 in their last T20I assignment. Here is the preview of the opener.
Team status
Injury concerns for NZ ahead of 1st T20I
NZ will be without some key players due to injuries, including Finn Allen, Adam Milne, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, and Lockie Ferguson. Despite their recent defeat against Australia, they have done well in T20Is this year (9 wins in 14 games). England have also been in good form lately with two wins (3-0 against West Indies and 2-0 Ireland) and one draw (1-1 against South Africa). Meanwhile, both teams have confirmed their XI for the opener.
Game specifics
Pitch report and timing details
As mentioned, the series opener will be played at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. The game is scheduled to start at 11:45am IST. The Hagley Oval pitch is known for its true bounce, making it a good surface for batting. The weather forecast doesn't predict any rain, so the match proceedings are likely to go on as planned. This could provide an excellent opportunity for both teams to showcase their skills in this highly anticipated T20I series opener.
Information
Here is the H2H record
In their previous encounters, England have won 15 out of the 27 matches played, while New Zealand have managed to win only 10 times. One match ended without a result and another was tied, as per ESPNcricinfo. On NZ soil, England have seven wins and just four defeats against the hosts (Tied: 1).
Team lineup
A look at the XIs
New Zealand confirmed XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (c), Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson. England confirmed XI: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook (c), Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Jordan Cox, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Phil Salt has hit four tons in just 44 T20I innings. Only Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell have more hundreds in the format (5 each). His opening partner Jos Buttler has an average and strike rate of 37.25 and 169.31, respectively, in T20Is this year (447 runs). Tim Robinson clocked a hundred in NZ's recent T20I series against the Aussies. James Neesham picked up four-fer against Australia in his last T20I outing for NZ.
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