New Zealand vs Windies, 1st T20I: Preview, Dream11 and stats
New Zealand and West Indies are set to feature in the first T20I of the three-match series on Friday. Tim Southee will captain New Zealand against Kieron Pollard-led Windies unit. This is New Zealand's first international game across formats since cricket stopped amid the coronavirus pandemic. WI last played the Test series against England in July. Ahead of the first T20I, here's the preview.
Timing, venue, pitch report and conditions
The match is set to start at 11:30 AM IST and will be held at the Eden Park in Auckland. As per reports, the weather is set to be cloudy in Auckland for most of the match. The average temperature during the match will be 18 degrees Celsius. With small straight boundaries on offer, this could be a massive game for batsmen.
Predicted starting XI of both teams
New Zealand predicted starting XI: Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Glenn Phillips/, Ross Taylor, Tim Seifert (WK), Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (C), Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi. West Indies predicted starting XI: Andre Fletcher, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran(WK), Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard (C), Keemo Paul, Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas Kesrick Williams.
Both teams will want to start well
The likes of Kane Williamson and Trent Boult are set to miss the T20Is and it's up to senior Taylor, Guptill and Southee to step up for NZ. It will be a test for NZ, who haven't played since March. Meanwhile, Windies have several crucial players in their ranks. Fresh from winning the IPL 2020 title, Pollard will hope to rally his side.
Dream11 team prediction and live telecast
Dream11 team prediction: Guptill, Pooran (WK), King, Hetmyer, Taylor (C), Pollard (VC), Santner, Allen, Southee, Ferguson, Sodhi. Meanwhile, one can stream the match live on Amazon Prime.
A look at the key stats ahead of the match
Veteran Kiwi batsman Ross Taylor has scored 1,909 career T20I runs at 26.51. He needs 26 runs to get past JP Duminy (1,934) and another three more to surpass Mohammad Shahzad (1,936). With this Taylor could become the 11th-highest run-scorer in T20Is. Kieron Pollard (1,123) needs 54 to surpass Kevin Pietersen's tally of 1,176 runs.
