All you need to know about the three-match series between New Zealand and Australia.
Trent Boult is back
Trent Boult returns for the Black Caps having last played for New Zealand at the ODI World Cup. Boult has 74 career wickets in T20s, 30th on the all-time list, and 14 wickets against Australia.
Tim Southee leads the all-time T20 wicket list with 157 wickets. Teammate Ish Sodhi currently sits third with 132, eight behind Shakib Al Hasan on 140.
Chappell-Hadlee Trophy is on the line
Launched in 2004-05 for ODI clashes between the two nations, the trophy will now be contested over both 50-over and T20 formats.
Australia currently holds the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy after beating the Black Caps 3-0 in an ODI series in Cairns in September 2022, the seventh time they have won it.
The Black Caps have lifted the trophy on four occasions, most recently in 2017 when they claimed a 2-0 series victory thanks to close-fought wins at Eden Park and Seddon Park.
Farewell David Warner
It’s goodbye to David Warner, who plays his final T20 series before heading to the T20 World Cup. Warner doesn’t have a great record in the format against the Black Caps, averaging 24 with a high score of 59. That 59 was on New Zealand soil, in a 2018 clash at Eden Park when Australia chased down 244 to win. Warner first played the Black Caps in a Twenty20 in 2009, where he came up against Tim Southee.
His only game in Wellington was 14 years ago when he made 19, but he won’t be facing Shane Bond or Daryl Tuffey this series.
What history says
New Zealand and Australia have met 16 times since the first T20 international in 2005. Australia have won 10 encounters, New Zealand five and one game was tied (which New Zealand won in a one-over eliminator).
This is only the fourth time the two nations have played a Twenty20 series featuring more than a one-off game.
2010 - Series drawn (1-1)
2018 - Australia won 3-0
2021 - New Zealand won 3-2
Last meeting
October 22, 2022 - Twenty20 World Cup group match - Black Caps won by 89 runs
The opening game of the main group stage and the Black Caps handed Australia their biggest defeat in a T20 World Cup match with Devon Conway scoring 92. Chasing 201 for victory at the SCG, Australia were bowled out for 111. Tim Southee finished with 3-6 and Mitchell Santner had 3-31.
Previous Twenty20 form
Black Caps: L, W, W, W, W
Australia: L, W, W, L, L
(Most recent first)
New Zealand v Australia Twenty20 squads
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult.
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
New Zealand v Australia Twenty20 schedule
1st T20, today, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 7.10pm
2nd T20, Friday, Eden Park Auckland, 7.10pm
3rd T20, Sunday, Eden Park, Auckland, 1pm
How to follow the coverage
Listen to ball-by-ball commentary of every Black Caps match this summer live and free on iHeart Radio with The Alternative Commentary Collective.
You can also follow the action with the Herald live blog.
All three games will be on TVNZ One and streamed on TVNZ+.
