New Zealand vs Australia Fourth T20I Preview: Can the Kangaroos hop again?

Australia came back into the series with a thumping 64 run win in Wellington on Wednesday. It is still New Zealand, though, who have the edge and a 2-1 lead going into the fourth match. This game in Wellington on Friday provides the Kiwis a chance to win the series outright, while Australia will hope to take it to the decider.

New Zealand were bamboozled and had to endure a heavy loss in the third match, but they were in the hunt until the score was 109/3 after 12 overs. They needed a boost from there on, but three wickets in one Ashton Agar overturned the game on its head.

The heartening fact, though, is the consistency of Devon Conway (139 runs), who together with Martin Guptill (140) heads their batting charts. Trent Boult (three wickets, ER 8.27) has been excellent at the top, but the poor returns of Kyle Jamieson (one wicket, ER 11.45) are a concern.

Mitchell Santner is back in the selection mix after missing the last time due to an injury. He should be slotted back in the side, at the expense of Mark Chapman.

Australia had their T20 specialists to thank for their revival, as Josh Philippe (43) started the revival. Captain Aaron Finch (69) and Glenn Maxwell (70) then kept going hard pushing New Zealand further behind in the charts.

The visitors are still without a batting leader and that could be a cause of concern. With the ball, Agar (six wickets, ER 8.88) picked up a dream bag of returns in the last match. However, it is the exceptional debut of Riley Meredith (4-0-24-2) that gives the Aussies one less thing to worry about.

There is a temptation to play the winning side, but one of the Richardsons – Kane and Jhye – could be rested.

Australia extended their win-loss advantage over New Zealand to 8-3 with that win on Wednesday. One of the matches ended as a tie.

The hosts’ team balance went for a toss in the third match, as they fielded a batsman (Chapman) in place of an all-rounder (Santner). His return will tilt the balances once again in favour of the Kiwis, while the Aussies remain a confident unit looking to continue the winning momentum. It will depend on how quickly Australia can find their batting heroes continue their scoring ways and take the game to the hosts.

Australia have found their appetite back, but it is still the visitors who have to do the running. New Zealand are still comfortable knowing that they just need to win one of the remaining two matches to win the series. All will depend on how well the Australian batsmen can continue from the gains of the third match. Backing Maxwell to find a couple of sixes and Santner to be the Kiwis’ best bowler can be interesting picks.