🔗 Share this article Australia vs New Zealand – Men's 2nd T20 Match Live Coverage Preamble Greetings cricket enthusiasts! Join us for the second match of the live coverage of the men’s T20 international clash for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Australia lead the series one-nil after trouncing the hosts by six wickets in the opener on the previous match day. That victory was anchored by the powerful batting of captain Mitchell Marsh, who thundered 85 runs off 43 balls with nine fours and 5 maximums at a scoring rate of nearly 200. New Zealand were hammered with the ball but can take heart from their performance with the bat. Despite losing three early wickets in the first 10 balls, they bounced back to reach what appeared a competitive 181, led by Tim Robinson’s brilliant first T20I hundred. Weather Conditions The latest weather report… Sadly, it’s a rainy day at Mount Maunganui and the drizzle, which ceased an earlier, has started again. While the radar shows brighter skies coming in, for now the coin toss and announcement of the two XIs for today will be postponed. However, I’m assured Bay Oval has a excellent drainage that disposes of liquids efficiently, so fingers crossed we see play soon. Squad Updates Here are the squads for today… NEW ZEALAND 1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell (capt), 7 Jimmy Neesham, 8 Matt Henry, 9 Ben Sears, 10 Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy A changed lineup for the Black Caps with all-rounder Jimmy Neesham added to the team, fast bowler Ben Sears included, and veteran leg-spinner Ish Sodhi also selected. AUSTRALIATravis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Matt Short, Tim David, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, 8 Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood One change for Australia with fast-bowler Sean Abbott taking the place of Ben Dwarshuis. Coin Toss Coin toss: New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl Michael Bracewell calls correctly and chooses to field at the Australian team. Mitch Marsh probably would have chosen similarly so an early win for the hosts. However, the Kiwis will need to start a lot better than they did in the first match where Australia raced to 67 runs in the first five overs before the Kiwis took their initial breakthrough. Match Conditions Positive updates, everyone: the covers have been removed at Bay Oval and we have confirmation that this match will go ahead as an 18-overs-per-side affair. Player Highlights Tim Robinson’s first T20I century in the opening match was a spectacular effort in a defeat. The Black Caps were six for three in the early stages, with the Australian paceman dismissing Tim Seifert in the opening over and Ben Dwarshuis taking two wickets in two balls to dismiss Devon Conway and Mark Chapman back to the sheds before the young batsman walked out confidently. Playing his 13th T20I, the unruly-haired youngster scored an unbeaten 106 off 66 balls. Robinson smashed six fours and 5 sixes along the way and ended his blitzkrieg in fine fashion, with a boundary and a maximum from the final two balls! Injury Updates There’s a few fans leaving at the stadium so we expect a coin toss and the confirmed teams for you shortly. However, there are a heap of players missing across the board through injury, red-ball focus, family reasons or freak accidents. Weirdest of all, both squads lost their star allrounders on the day before the series in strange practice accidents. On the previous day, New Zealand star Rachin Ravindra hit an advertising hoarding during a fielding practice and sustained a deep laceration to his face that required stitches and ruled him out for the series. That very day, Aussie veteran Glenn Maxwell had one of his powerful wrists broken while practicing bowling thanks to tonk-happy teammate Mitchell Owen. It means The Big Show is a no-show for this T20 series and may be in question for the domestic season too. Looking Back While the teams complete their last preparations at Bay Oval, we might reflect at the first match. The two sides arrived in hot form, with Australia on a tear of 15 victories from their previous 17 T20 games and the Kiwis having won nine of their last 11 in 2025. Related Tournament News Of course today’s T20I is also a tasty entree for the Women’s ODI World Cup being held in India. Australia are aiming to win a seventh World Cup, and become the first women’s team to claim consecutive titles since 1988. They started their campaign with a win against the White Ferns and this evening face Sri Lanka. Indigenous star Ashleigh Gardner notched the opening hundred of the competition, saving her team from a precarious position with a composed 115 off 83 balls that helped her team to reach 326 all out in 49.3 overs. The Aussies went on to beat the New Zealand by 89 runs.