New Zealand will take on West Indies at home in the first T20I of the series. Ahead of the match we bring you all the Fantasy tips, Predicted XI, Match prediction and more.
Indian viewers can catch the action live on the Fan code App.
Venue: Eden Park, Auckland
Match Timings: 11:30 am IST on 27th November (Friday)
Match Preview
New Zealand will be without the services of their two key players Kane Williamson and Trent Boult in the T20I series. In Williamson’s absence fast bowler Tim Southee will lead the blackcaps against WI.
West Indies on the other hand will be lead by the seasoned Kieron Pollard. There several players featured in the recently concluded IPL, CPL 2020 and they are not short of any match practice.
Head To Head
Matches Played: 13
New Zealand Won: 6
West Indies Won: 3
Tied/ NR: 4
Weather Forecast
The conditions during the match are expected to be cloudy but the rain gods are likely to stay away and fans will see an uninterrupted contest.
Pitch Report
Usually, the track at Eden Park is tailor-made for batting and the first T20I is anticipated to produce a lot of runs. Batsmen will be eyeing the small boundaries of the ground and the team batting first will eye a total above 180.
Injury and Availability News
As mentioned above NZ will be without Kane Williamson and Trent Boult as they have been rested considering the big cricketing season ahead. The visitors will play a lot of T20 specialists in their side and ahead of the match, they have no injury concerns.
Also Read: Steve Smith Disappointed With His Batting In IPL 2020
Fantasy Tips – New Zealand vs West Indies
Predicted XI
West Indies: Brandon King, Andre Fletcher, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard (C), Nicholas Pooran (WK), Rovman Powell, Fabian Allen, Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Kesrick Williams.
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (WK), Ross Taylor, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee (C), Lockie Ferguson and Hamish Bennett/Ish Sodhi.
Also Read: South Africa vs England 2020: Teams, Full Schedule, Live Streaming Details And More
New Zealand vs West Indies – Top Fantasy Picks
Nicholas Pooran: The exciting Nicholas Pooran was in cracking form in IPL playing for KXIP. In the middle order, Pooran is suspected to be a game-changer for WI. Pooran should be a sure shot pick in your fantasy team of the first T20I.
Kieron Pollard: Fresh on the back of yet another IPL win, the captain of WI Pollard will be looking to continue on his merry ways. The condition at Eden Park will be ideal for Pollard style of batting and he can surely play a big knock.
Ross Taylor: The backbone of the NZ batting will be the experienced Ross Taylor. Without Williamson, there will be extra pressure on Taylor but he is expected to flourish and score consistently in the series.
Lockie Ferguson: The wicket-taker for NZ will be looking to pick wickets of the explosive WI batting and put them under pressure. Ferguson should be part of your fantasy side as he is never far away from picking up big wickets.
Captain and Vice-Captain Picks
Captain: Nicholas Pooran
Vice-Captain: Ross Taylor
Fantasy 11 Team
Wicket-Keeper – Nicholas Pooran
Batsmen – Kieron Pollard, Shimron Hetmyer, Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill
All-Rounders – Keemo Paul, Mitchell Santner
Bowlers – Kylie Jamieson, Tim Southee, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas
Match Prediction
West Indies looks a far more balanced side as compared to NZ ahead of the contest. Also, NZ will be without their two prominent match- winners which makes WI favourites to win the opening T20I match.
Also Read: Australia vs India 2020: 1st ODI – Fantasy Tips, Predicted XI, And Match Prediction
