A full-strength Australia will face his “underdogs,” New Zealand, in a three-match Twenty20 home series, captain Mitchell Santner pledged on Tuesday.
The rivals will play in front of a sell-out crowd in Wellington on Wednesday, with games in Auckland on Friday and Sunday, as the World Cup draws near in June.
In October 2022, New Zealand won their final World Cup match in the shortest format, by an innings of 89 runs in Sydney. However, Australia has since won the 50-over World Cup and recently defeated the West Indies 2-1 in a Twenty20 series.
Santner told reporters, “We are probably the underdogs, but we are used to that tag and don’t think much of it.”
The Aussies are always a lot of fun when they visit. They are undoubtedly among the greatest in the world, and you should always push yourself against them.”
Three years ago, the Black Caps and Australia faced off in a T20 series, which the hosts New Zealand won 3-2. “It’s unique,” Santner remarked. “We probably don’t play Australia as much as we probably should, but the trans-Tasman clash is always good fun.”
“Looking at their squad at the moment, they’re a very, very good team with all bases covered,” said the versatile player. “We’ve just got to do our thing, we’ve got our plans in place.”
Under Mitchell Marsh’s leadership, the visitors are at full strength. David Warner is 54 runs short of surpassing former captain Aaron Finch to become Australia’s all-time top scorer in men’s Twenty20 cricket. David Warner has announced his retirement from Test cricket.
Renowned batsman Kane Williamson has been rested by New Zealand, but they have strengthened their attack with veteran seamer Trent Boult.
Santner stated of the Australians, “We know how good they’re going to be and how explosive their team is.” “For us, the best course of action is to simply stay still and wait to see what occurs.
“We want to put up a good fight this series, then we can look forward after that.” Two Tests come after the T20 series.
