Deadline: January 3, 2020 at 5 AM IST
Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Pitch report
The only 200-plus score in the ongoing Australian T20 League came at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). To make matters more interesting, as many as 13 double-centuries and a triple-century have been registered at the venue. If anything, it is a paradise for the batsmen. That being said, the pitch is likely to dry up due to heat. Expect Nathan Lyon to catch the visitors in spin.
The bad news, however, is that the bushfire has enveloped Sydney in smoke. A T20 was abandoned last week due to bad quality air.
Probable XIs
Australia: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (c & wk), Pat Cummins, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon
Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, and Mitchell Santner have fallen ill a day before the Test. While Jeet Raval is the only backup batsman available in the squad, Glenn Phillips has been called up at the last minute.
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Matt Henry, Will Somerville, Neil Wagner
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Wicketkeeper: Tim Paine
Batsmen: Travis Head, Tom Blundell, David Warner, Steven Smith (vc), Ross Taylor
All-rounders: Marnus Labuschagne (c)
Bowlers: Neil Wagner, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Tim Southee
Players to watch out for
The short-ball tactic has worked wonders for Neil Wagner who has dismissed Steven Smith in all four innings thus far. With 14 wickets at 20, Wagner is the highest wicket-taker in the series. With 2 wickets fewer, Tim Southee is at the second spot.
Smith now has gone without a century in 9 innings – his worst streak since his maiden century in 2013. He ended the decade at No. 2 in ICC Test Rankings for batsmen – only behind Virat Kohli.
Marnus Labuschagne jumped to the fourth spot in the ICC Rankings after scoring the most runs in Tests in 2019. His scores in this Australian summer read: 185, 162, 136, 50, 63, 19.
Tom Blundell’s 121 provided some respite for the New Zealand fans. So ordinary have his teammates been that his is the only century of the series.
Match prediction
Rain is expected to play spoilsport. Given the average scores, both captains will look to bat first and bury the opposition under a pile of a massive score.
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