Australia face New Zealand in Trans-Tasman Tri-Series opener

Sydney: The first match of the Trans-Tasman Tri-Series sees Australia host New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday. England are the other team who will be taking part in this seven-match tournament.

Steve Smith has been rested for the series so David Warner will be leading a strong Australian side that is replete with players that have done well in the Big Bash League.

The big selection news for the Australians is that D’Arcy Short has been picked and is in line to make his T20I debut. Short, a 27-year-old left-handed batsman, is the leading run-scorer in the Big Bash and will be feeling very confident going into the series.

The pressure will be on him though, as Aaron Finch will be missing due to a hamstring injury.

New Zealand head into this match on the back of a home T20I series defeat to Pakistan and they will be hoping for a return to form against their fiercest rivals.

Where Colin Munro battered and bruised the Windies in the T20I series in late 2017, he could not replicate that form against Pakistan, missing the series-decider with a minor injury, and the Black Caps badly missed his runs.

A lot will depend on how he goes at the top of the order. The same is true of Mitchell Santner, the newly crowned No.1 in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Bowling Rankings. He will look to keep the Australian batting line-up in check, while also offering a wicket-taking threat.

New Zealand are a long way ahead of Australia in the MRF Tyres ICC T20I Rankings, with the Kiwis second and the Australians all the way down in seventh. The Aussies will be hoping that home advantage can counter that.

Teams from:

Australia: David Warner (Capt.), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short (wk), Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (Capt.), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Anaru Kitchen, Colin Munro, Seth Rance, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Ben Wheeler

Pitch and conditions
The last T20I on this ground was two years ago, and on that day a brilliant 124 not out from Shane Watson was not enough to avoid defeat to India, who chased down 198. There is also rain forecast in Sydney on Saturday, with the worst of it predicted for when this match is about to get under way.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have only beaten Australia once in six T20 encounters.
• Colin Munro is three runs short of becoming the fifth New Zealander to 1000 in T20s.

Match facts
Saturday February 3, 2018
Start time 19:20 local (08:20 GMT)