AUCKLAND: Mitchell Santner, the captain of New Zealand, won the toss, opting to bowl first in the second Twenty20 international against Australia in Auckland on Friday. Australia, with a win, could clinch the three-match series after their victorious six-wicket performance in Wellington on Wednesday.
New Zealand underwent three changes, one being a necessity due to an injury to batsman Rachin Ravindra, who felt knee pain after the first clash. Ravindra, the top scorer for the Black Caps in Wellington, has been replaced by Will Young, while seamers Trent Boult and Ben Sears come in for Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi, respectively. Boult, a veteran paceman, will be making his first T20 international appearance since the T20 World Cup in 2022.
Australia also made three changes, bringing back opener Steve Smith, wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, and seamer Nathan Ellis, who will replace David Warner, Matthew Short, and Mitchell Starc, respectively in today’s clash. The third and final match of the series will also take place in Auckland, scheduled for Sunday.
Teams:
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner (capt), Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Ben Sears
Australia: Travis Head, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Tim David, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Match Officials:
Umpires: Shaun Haig and Chris Brown (NZL)
Television Umpire: Kim Cotton (NZL)
Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
