Key events
Umpires are on the field at Bay Oval inspecting the pitch and hopefully there’s a green light coming for action to get under way at last in this second T20I between Australia and New Zealand.
According to the laws, the minimum number of overs for a T20I to be considered complete is five overs per side. “This minimum applies in delayed or interrupted matches where one or more overs have been lost, ensuring both teams have an equal opportunity to bat and enough play has occurred to constitute a meaningful contest.”
Either way, it’s looking good…
The lights are on. The covers are off. And players from the Australian and New Zealand sides are readying to enter the rapidly-drying arena at Bay Oval. It means Inderbir Singh “Ish” Sodhi is about to become the Black Caps’ most capped player in Twenty20 cricket.
Promising signs at Bay Oval: umpires are on the field and ground staff are removing the covers. Let’s hope it’s for keeps this time. Hang in there, folks. Live cricket is close!
So stop crying. Or is it just raining on your face?
Good news, folks: It’s stopped raining at Bay Oval!
Now the challenge is to drain all that water. What do New Zealanders call their version of Australia’s famous “Super Sopper” as invented by Gordon Withnall in 1974?
The Super Sopper is a mechanical mop that can dry anything from cricket pitches to tennis courts in minutes. The concept is based around a revolutionary sponge design. As the machine goes over wet areas like puddles the foam is compressed at the bottom of the roller and as it springs back to shape it goes up to the top of the machine holding the water. Just like your sponge at home the wet foam then needs wringing out.
English cricket paid tribute to retiring allrounder Chris Woakes this week. Ali Martin remembers a second fiddle of Test cricket who became an all-format maestro.
A more inward-looking character could have bemoaned their luck at coinciding with the careers of Broad and Anderson, not least given their dibs on the new ball. Perhaps if Stokes had not emerged from the rubble of the 2013-14 Ashes, Woakes might also have stepped up as the Test side’s all-rounder, with seven of his 10 first-class centuries compiled before turning 25. But Woakes was always appreciative that he shared a dressing room with all three, while Eoin Morgan’s decision to pension off Anderson and Broad at the start of his white‑ball project in 2015 presented an alternative path. As the two greats specialised, Woakes spread his wings as an all‑format player and the attack leader for Morgan’s all-conquering side.
If you prefer to spend this rain delay reading rolled gold prose, perhaps revisit Guardian readers’ memories of the great English cricket umpire Dickie Bird…
Meteorology nerds are telling me the Bay of Plenty – where Bay Oval is situated – is deviously billed as the “Sunshine Capital of the North Island” and receives over 2,350 hours of sunshine annually, making it one of the most sun-kissed regions in New Zealand.
This current rainfall, they are saying, is a trifle AKA “a passing shower”. However, it will reduce our abbreviated 18-over game even further, alas.
As we wait for play to get under way, let’s revisit the sterling work of the great Kiwi allrounder Lance Cairns, author of the best-titled cricket autobiography of all time, Give It A Heave.
Bugger! Just as Australia’s players left the field to pad up for action, the rain returns to Bay Oval. Grounds staff have rushed out with the covers and umbrellas are back up. Local radar says this will be a short burst before a longer break of better weather.
Due to the abbreviated format, today’s PowerPlay will be 5.2 overs not the usual six. If that favours anyone it’s probably New Zealand given the Australians are world cricket’s greatest PowerPlay gexponents right now. Since the end of last year’s World Cup, Mitch Marsh’s marauders have struck at 195.92 in the first six overs. That’s light years ahead of the next best team to play ten or more T20s in the same period (England with 168.84).
Marsh and opening partner Travis Head even bettered that superb strike-rate in game one, hitting 71 runs from the first six overs.
As the players go through their final warm-ups at Bay Oval, we might take a look back at Game One. Both teams arrived in hot form, with Australia on a tear of 15 victories from their last 17 T20s and New Zealand having won nine of their last 11 in 2025.
Here’s a quick highlight reel from the match to bring you up to speed…
Here are today’s teams…
NEW ZEALAND
1 Tim Seifert (wk), 2 Devon Conway, 3 Tim Robinson, 4 Mark Chapman, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Michael Bracewell (capt), 7 Jimmy Neesham, 8 Matt Henry, 9 Ben Sears, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Jacob Duffy
A changed lineup for the Black Caps with allrounder Jimmy Neesham joining the side, paceman Ben Sears in, and 32-year-old leg-break specialist* Ish Sodhi also included.
AUSTRALIA
1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 3 Matt Short, 4 Tim David, 5 Alex Carey (wk), 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Mitch Owen, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Sean Abbott, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
One change for Australia with fast-bowler Sean Abbott replacing Ben Dwarshuis.
* Sodhi bowls leg-breaks and doesn’t break legs.
Coin toss: New Zealand have won the toss and will bowl first
Michael Bracewell calls correctly and elects to have a bowl at the Australians. Mitch Marsh likely would’ve done the same so an early win for the home side. However, the Black Caps will need to start a lot better than they did in game one where Australia galloped to 67 in five overs before the Kiwis picked up their first wicket.
More good news, folks: the covers are off at Bay Oval and we have confirmation that today’s fixture will go ahead as an 18-overs-per-side affair.
Of course today’s T20I is also a tasty entree for the Women’s ODI World Cup being played in India and Sri Lanka. Australia are on a quest to win a seventh 50-over title, and become the first women’s team to claim consecutive titles since 1988. They started their campaign with a victory over New Zealand and tonight square off against Sri Lanka.
Proud Muruwari woman Ashleigh Gardner scored the first century of the tournament, rescuing Australia from 5-128 with a composed 83-ball 115 that helped her team reach 326 all out in 49.3 overs. The Aussies went on to defeat the White Caps by 89 runs.
A positive piece of news from the weather Gods at Mount Maunganui. The rain is easing and the coin toss between captains Mitch Marsh and Michael Bracewell has been slated for 7.45pm – approximately 10 minutes from now.
Let’s hope it goes better for the tosser/ spinner/ flipper than this effort from the AFL a coupla weeks back…
Australia’s large, laconic captain Mitchell Marsh didn’t notch a century on Wednesday but his 85 was a masterclass in power hitting and won him the Player of the Match.
Will The Bison brings us more of the same this afternoon?
There’s a few umbrellas packing up at the Bay Oval so we hope to have a coin toss and today’s final XIs for you shortly. However, there are a heap of players missing across the board through injury, red-ball focus, parental duties or freak accidents.
Weirdest of all, both squads lost their star allrounders on the eve of the series in bizarre training mishaps. On Tuesday, Black Caps gun Rachin Ravindra collided with an advertising hoarding during a fielding drill and suffered a deep laceration to his face that required stitches and ruled him out for the series.
On the same day, Australian star Glenn Maxwell had one of his meaty wrists broken while bowling in the nets wrist to tonk-happy teammate Mitchell Owen. It means The Big Show is a no-show for this series and may be in doubt for the home summer too.
Tim Robinson’s first T20I century in Game One was a ripper in a losing cause. The Black Caps were 6-3 in the second over, with Josh Hazlewood removing Tim Seifert in the opening over and Ben Dwarshuis striking twice in two balls to send Devon Conway and Mark Chapman back to the sheds before Robinson swaggered out. Playing his 13th T20I, the tousle-haired 23-year-old scored an unbeaten 106 off 66 balls.
Robinson smashed six fours and five sixes along the way and ended his blitzkrieg in style, with a four and a six from the final two balls!
A quick weather forecast…
Unfortunately, it’s a wet day at Mount Maunganui and the drizzle, which stopped an hour ago, has just resumed. Although the radar shows brighter skies coming in, for now the coin toss and announcement of the two XIs for today will be delayed.
However, I’m assured Bay Oval has a drainage system that disposes of liquids like the late great Who drummer Keith Moon so fingers crossed we get some cricket action soon.
Preamble
Hello cricket fans! Welcome to game two of the Guardian’s live coverage of Australia v New Zealand in the men’s T20I showdown for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Angus Fontaine with you for the afternoon of action and feel free to email as it all unfolds.
Australia lead the series 1-0 after trouncing the home side by six wickets in the opener on Wednesday. That victory was built on the broad shoulders of captain Mitchell Marsh who thundered 85 from 43 deliveries with nine fours, five sixes at a strike-rate of 197.67.
New Zealand were hammered with the ball but will take solace from their performance with the bat. Despite losing three wickets in the first 10 balls, they recovered to reach what seemed a competitive 181, led by Tim Robinson’s magnificent maiden century.
Bowling was sub-par from both sides, with the exception of Australia’s opening pair Ben Dwarshuis and Josh Hazlewood and their wily off-spinner Adam Zampa. The green and gold second-stringers were plundered though, as was the entire Black Caps attack.
Today’s a chance to start afresh, albeit at the same venue. Bay Oval remains “Beige Oval”, a retro-tastic tribute to the 20th anniversary of the first T20 international, a spicy clash between these proud nations at Eden Park back in February 2005.
Can New Zealand bounce back and square it up? Or will the Australians continue the demolition job and sweep the series before the finale at this same venue on Saturday?
First ball is scheduled for 4.15pm AEST/ 7.15pm local so batten ‘em down and buckle ‘em up!
