Game one of Australia’s tour of New Zealand will take place this Monday, the 30th of January in Auckland. It will be the first of 3 matches between the Trans-Tasman rivals and should be a big test for the Aussies in the lead up to their much-anticipated tour of India. It will be the third time in the last year that the Aussies and Kiwis have squared off for the right to hold the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
While all the talk has been over absence of captain Steve Smith and dominant opening batsman David Warner, the Aussies will still go into the series with an extremely talented side. Victorian skipper and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade has been given the reigns for the tour and will be surrounded by a bunch of batsmen aiming to cement their spot in the ODI team.
Travis Head, Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, and Glenn Maxwell should make up the bulk of the top-middle order and when you do the math, those five are most likely competing for three spots in the side going forward. Unlike the Pakistan series, James Faulkner should step up to seven in more of a batting all-rounder role while the Aussies play four specialist bowlers.
In what looks to now be their permanent ODI pace attack, Pat Cummins will complement the star duo of Josh Hazelwood and Mitch Starc while Adam Zampa should provide the spin option. Billy Stanlake gets another call up for the tour and could get a run on a rotational basis as the Aussies think forward to the series in India.
Unlike their tour of Australia, which was marred by injury issues, the Kiwis will go into this series with a near full strength squad. Skipper Kane Williamson will have his full array of pace bowling options to call upon, led by star duo Trent Boult and Tim Southee.
Ross Taylor will also be back in the side after missing the Australian tour with an unfortunate eye injury. Look for the likes of Williamson, Taylor and the world’s 9th ranked ODI batsmen Martin Guptill to attack the Australian bowlers early on New Zealand’s small grounds. The health of ex-Australian and usual Kiwi wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi looks to be their only injury concern, with the convert set to miss at least the few two games with an abductor strain.
It should be a very hard fought series on many different levels. It will be interesting to see how Matthew Wade handles the pressure of wicketkeeping and captaining at the same time, which is something the Australian selectors have been wary of in the past.
Even though the Aussies are losing the 1st and 8th ranked ODI batsmen in the world in Warner and Smith respectively, their batting shouldn’t take that much of a hit if the inclusions play to their ability. Both Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch are coming off some recent form in the ODI series, while at his best Glenn Maxwell is nothing but the most explosive batsmen in the world.
It was the Aussie’s bowling attack that one the majority of their games against the Pakistanis, and that hasn’t taken a hit at all. The likes of Starc and Hazlewood should relish a few overcast days in dreary New Zealand, and if they are able to get through those top three NZ batsmen, their middle order isn’t equal to the caliber of the Australians.
I like the Australians to retain the Chappell-Hadlee series, especially with some inflated odds due to their selection woes. We just saw the Aussies absolutely decimate a decent Pakistani side, they aren’t ranked number one in ODI’s for nothing.
TIP: Australia to win series - $1.80 at Sportsbet
On the player market front, there are a few differnet plays I’m interested in. Due to the impending Test tour of India, he Aussies could be resting their Test stars like Starc and Hazlewood. James Faulkner missed selection for the Tour so he should play a massive part in this series, I like him to claim the most Aussie wickets, especially with the added bonus of the junk time scalps he usually collects bowling at the end of innings’.
TIP: James Faulkner most series wickets (Australia) - $6 at Sportsbet
Kane Williamson is an absolute class act in every form of the game, he’s a short priced favourite to score the most runs for NZ but for good reason. I would probably only take Kohli and de Villiers above him when selecting my current World XI.
TIP: Kane Williamson most series runs (NZ) - $3.50 at Unibet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
