New Zealand v Australia T20s: Things to watch

Colin Munro, IPL price tag pressure and the battle for bowling supremacy – the talking points ahead of the first T20 between New Zealand and Australia on Monday, February 22

Will New Zealand regret omitting Colin Munro?

Colin Munro was one of standout players in BBL 10 and was named in both the official team of the tournament and The Cricketer’s team of the tournament (admittedly as the X-factor player but that’s a tribute to his game-changing play).

The 33-year old scored 443 runs at a strike rate of 128.03 as Perth Scorchers reached the final, including four half-centuries, 32 fours and 19 sixes. However, given the depth of top-order talent in the New Zealand ranks, Munro (eighth in the ICC batting standings) will not face Australia.

Instead, New Zealand’s likely top five will include Martin Guptill (injury dependent), Tim Seifert, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips – and they all deserve to be there. Guptill and captain Williamson are proven white-ball performers who require little justification in any XI while Seifert and Phillips were the leading run-scorers against Pakistan and West Indies, respectively.

Conway, however, enters the five-match series in the best form of them all. The 29-year old scored 455 runs for Wellington Firebirds during the 2020-21 Super Smash, including a 63-ball 93 not out during the final to guide his side to their fourth title.

On paper, Munro’s absence doesn’t look like it will harm New Zealand too gravely. However, should any of the top order fail to fire, they may regret not finding room for the in-form batsman in their 14-man squad.

^{Colin Munro, in action for Perth Scorchers against Melbourne Stars, isn’t involved in the series against Australia}

How will the IPL's £1million men fare?

In this season’s IPL auction, four players were bought for fees in excess of £1million and three of them are in action during this series. New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for £1.48m while Australian duo Glenn Maxwell and Jhye Richardson were sold for £1.4m (RCB) and £1.38m (Punjab Kings), respectively. But the question is, how will they cope with the attention in their first outings since the auction?

Maxwell will be fine. The veteran allrounder regularly attracts big bucks to appear in T20 franchise tournaments and enters the series with matches under his belt after playing for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash. Although his side performed poorly, the Big Show (ranked fourth in the T20 player index) banked 379 runs (three 50s) and seven wickets in 13 innings.

Chris Morris, Kyle Jamieson and Glenn Maxwell light-up record-breaking IPL auction

However, for the other two, this is a whole new world. Richardson, recalled for possibly his first T20 international appearance since February 2019, ran away with the BBL’s Golden Arm competition, topping the standings with 29 wickets.

The 24-year old described his IPL payday as “life-changing” and will be praying he can replicate his BBL form on the international stage. Jamieson, meanwhile, only made his New Zealand debut in any format in February 2020 and has just four T20 internationals under his belt.

With the world’s media watching every ball, how will the two quicks handle the pressure?

A handful of potential debutants

Four new faces could make their international debuts during this series. Finn Allen earned his maiden call-up to the New Zealand squad as injury cover for Guptill (hamstring) and if the 34-year old continues to struggle, Allen could be thrust into the middle.

The 21-year old burst into the spotlight during this season’s Super Smash, finishing the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 512 runs in 11 appearances for Wellington Firebirds. That total included six half-centuries, 56 fours and 25 sixes, and was struck at an astonishing strike rate 193.93. Less firebird and more firecracker.

^{Tanveer Sangha (L), Riley Meredith (top left), Josh Philippe (top right), and Finn Allen (bottom) could make their international debuts in the series}

Meanwhile, despite their red-ball series against South Africa being postponed, Australia opted against restoring their seasoned internationals to the T20 squad, leaving the door open for a trio of debuts. Bowlers Tanveer Sangha and Riley Meredith shone during BBL 10. Nineteen-year old Sangha took 21 wickets (the most for a spinner) for Sydney Thunder while Meredith was one of the few positives for Hobart Hurricanes, taking 16 wickets at an economy of 7.83.

At the other end of the order, Josh Philippe collected his second BBL title in as many years with Sydney Sixers. Scoring 508 runs at a strike rate of 149.41, the 23-year old finished as the competition’s third highest run-scorer for the second season in a row. It’s a little surprising he hasn’t already made his international bow but the prospect of pairing him with the likes of Matthew Wade and Aaron Finch is tantalising.

The battle for bowling supremacy

With two bowlers each in the top 10 of the ICC rankings, this series is the perfect opportunity for one of Australia or New Zealand to bag T20 bowling bragging rights.

In Australia’s corner are spin twins Adam Zampa (fifth) and Ashton Agar (sixth) who have a combined T20 international wicket haul of 69. After taking 11 wickets in nine appearances for Australia in 2020, Zampa excelled in BBL 10 and finished the tournament with 19 wickets for Melbourne Stars (six more than his nearest teammate). Agar, meanwhile, is on his way back from a calf injury but has a miserly economy of 6.87 in 27 international outings.

New Zealand v Australia T20s: All you need to know

Tim Southee (seventh) and Mitchell Santner (ninth) are New Zealand’s representatives. 32-year old Southee is the most experienced bowler of the four with 75 T20 caps in his kitbag and the pace bowler has taken 87 wickets for New Zealand. He was also the leading wicket-taker during their recent three-match series against Pakistan with six dismissals in two appearances. Providing the spin option, Santner has 54 wickets in 48 appearances and three in three matches versus Australia.

New Zealand’s arsenal also includes Trent Boult, Jamieson and Jimmy Neesham while Australia have Mitchell Marsh, Andrew Tye, Jason Behrendorff, Meredith, Sangha and unrelated quicks Kane and Jhye Richardson, at their disposal. Expect box office bowling.

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