Internet Desk: New Zealand will go out hoping to recapture the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against a relatively inexperienced Australian side in the first of three One-Day Internationals at Eden Park in Auckland on Monday (January 30) after being whitewashed in the fixture late last year.
Australia’s focus at the moment is on the upcoming four-Test tour of India, where it has not won a Test since 2004. With that being the case, it has rested David Warner and Usman Khawaja for the New Zealand ODIs. Steven Smith has also dropped out with an ankle injury, forcing Matthew Wade to take charge as captain.
Australia, the No. 1 ODI team in the world and the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 champion, has added the experienced Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh to the batting, while also calling up young Sam Heazlett.
The Australians are coming off a 4-1 series win over Pakistan at home and, while it appears a weakened side on paper, it can’t be underestimated. At the same time, New Zealand is also brimming with confidence after its recent success against Bangladesh in all three forms of the game, particularly since the pace attack – led by Tim Southee and Trent Boult – showed signs it was firing in the final Test.
New Zealand also has a stronger batting lineup than the last time it played Australia thanks to the return of Ross Taylor and the re-emergence of Neil Broom. Taylor missed the last series because of an eye surgery while Broom has impressed since being recalled against Bangladesh after six years in the wilderness.
The home side will, however, have to live without Luke Ronchi, their first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs, after he picked up an adductor injury. Tom Blundell, the uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman from Wellington, is in the 14-man squad, but New Zealand has announced that Tom Latham, the opening batsman, will be donning the big gloves come Monday. Latham, only an occasional keeper, has previously kept wicket for New Zealand in three ODIs and four Twenty20 Internationals, the last of them in 2013.
The second ODI will be in Napier on Thursday, with the third in Hamilton on Sunday.
Teams:
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
Australia: Matthew Wade (capt, wk), Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Sam Heazlett, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.