New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner has won the toss and opted to bowl first in the second T20I against Australia in Auckland. (Scorecard | Streaming | More Cricket News)
Coming into the 2nd T20I, the Kiwis are already 0-1 down in the three match series after losing the first T20I in a closely fought encounter. Despite the home side making 215/3 in their 20 overs, the visitors led by Tim David (31 not out off 10 balls) and skipper Mitchell Marsh (72 not out off 44 balls), scripted a comeback as they won the contest by six wickets.
For the home side, there will be no Rachin Ravindra, as the all-rounder misses the second T20I due to injury. In a tweet put out by BlackCaps, it read: "Rachin Ravindra will miss tonight’s 2nd KFC T20I at Eden Park after experiencing pain in his left knee following the first game in Wellington. He will be treated and monitored over the coming days before a decision is made on his availability for the third T20I."
Teams:
Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh(c), Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w), Pat Cummins, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner(c), Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Ben Sears.
There have been a total of 29 T20I matches that have been played at Auckland's Eden Park. Out of those 29, side batting first have won 12 whereas the side's chasing have won 12 as well.
The average first innings score here is 163 and the second innings score is 150. The highest score registered on this ground is 245/5 by Australia against New Zealand in 2018 and it turned out to be a winning one.
Elsewhere, in Ranchi, in a different format, england opted to bat first in their must-win fourth Test against India. But the visitors were reduced to 112/5 at lunch with debutant pacer Akash Deep scalping 3/24 in his first seven overs in a sensational morning session for the hosts.
