New Zealand vs Australia, 1st T20I Betting Tips

New Zealand and Australia will clash in the five-match T20I series, starting from February 22^nd in Christchurch.

The series will officially mark the beginning of the preparations for the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup, which is set to be organized in India later this year.

The home team will enter the contest as slight favorites after securing a 2-1 win against Pakistan in their last assignment in the T20Is.

By the look of the squad, New Zealand are going in with full strength and are expecting a tougher contest against their neighbors.

On the other hand, Australia will be coming in this series a little rusty after not being able to play any international cricket since the Test series against India.

They had a tour of South Africa scheduled which was called off due to an increase in number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Both teams have competed in nine T20Is before where the Kangaroos have a far superior record with seven wins compared to New Zealand’s two victories.

New Zealand Form and Team News

New Zealand’s team management will be eager to test their best player’s form against a formidable Australian team.

In the absence of veteran batsman Ross Taylor, the batting unit looks a bit weak and therefore, there will be much more reliance on the likes of captain Kane Williamson, veteran opener Martin Guptill and explosive Glenn Phillips to score majority of the runs for the Kiwis.

On the bowling front, the team management and the captain will be eager to test the combination of spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi as the next ICC T20 World Cup will be played in the sub-continent.

In the pace-bowling department, the onus will be once again on the experienced pace duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee to produce timely breakthroughs. Kyle Jamieson could certainly be play as third seamer if conditions favor the quicker bowlers.

Australia Form and Team News

Australia’s last T20I project was against India where they suffered a 2-1 series defeat while playing at home.

Therefore, the team management will be hoping to see the players turn things around despite not playing any T20 internationals in last two months.

In the batting department, the onus will be on the likes of Captain Aaron Finch, explosive all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and left-handed top-order batsman D’Arcy Short to score bulk of the runs for the visitors.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is making his return to the Australia’s T20I side after being dropped from the India series and he will be eager to make his mark.

On the bowling front, Australia will be relying on the likes of Jason Behrendroff, Kane Richardson and Jhye Richardson to provide crucial breakthroughs.

The visitors are also likely to test their spin-bowling department considering the venue and pitches for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.

Therefore, the likes of leg-spinner Adam Zampa, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar will be two prominent spin options for this game.

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, New Zealand will be slight favorites to win the opening game of the T20I series. For the T20I series opener, New Zealand are placed at 2.00 odds, while Australia at 1.81 odds.

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Our Tipster’s Angle

On paper, this looks like a very closely-fought series as both teams are looking to find their feet ahead of a busy year.

However, with the visitors missing some of their regulars such as David Warner, Steven Smith and Mitchell Starc, the home team look more experienced and therefore, the prediction is for New Zealand to win this opening game of the T20I series.

Tip 1: Tim Seifert to continue his rich vein of form with the bat

With two half-centuries in his last three T20I innings, there is no doubt that Tim Seifert is in-form player for New Zealand at the moment.

Since Jan 2020, Tim Seifert has been a consistent performer and leading the batting charts for New Zealand in the T20 format. In 11 matches, Wicket-keeper has accumulated 352 runs at a splendid average of 50.28 with four half-centuries to his name. So we are backing Tim Seifert to score 30 runs or more [email protected]

Conclusion

Expect New Zealand to comfortably brush aside Australia in this opening contest.

1. Tim Seifert to score 30 or more runs-New [email protected].

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