Rejuvenated New Zealand, determined England look to seize early advantage

Overview

New Zealand v England, 3rd T20I
Saxton Oval, Nelson
Tuesday, 5 November; 2:00pm local, 1:00am GMT

After being outplayed in the series opener, the hosts, aided by a collective bowling performance, made a strong comeback, registering a 21-run win in the second game in Wellington on Sunday, 3 November. Martin Guptill and James Neesham starred with major contributors, as New Zealand racked up 176/8 after being put in to bat. The major concern, though, would be the fact that none of their batsmen has been able to cross the 50-run mark in the series as yet, something that didn't allow them to put up an imposing total while batting first in both games.

Mitchell Santner, New Zealand's leading bowler in MRF Tyres ICC T20I Bowling Rankings, has lived up to expectations, grabbing six wickets from two outings, but can the other bowlers support him enough to help the Black Caps replicate their success from the previous game?

England, on the other hand, would be pleased that the relatively inexperienced bowling lot came good for the second consecutive time in the series. It was the lack of responsibility shown by the batters that allowed the hosts crawl their way back. They'll expect a lot more from the experienced Jonny Bairstow, who hasn't been able to build on the good form he showed in the warm-up game that preceded the series, where he scored an unbeaten 78.

Chris Jordan's blitz late in the innings was a positive sign, but skipper Eoin Morgan would expect more from himself and his deputy Sam Billings, in the finishing stage of the innings.

Remember the last time

Morgan won his second straight toss in the series, and the young Sam Curran responded with the early wicket of Colin Munro in only the third over of the innings. Guptill (41), though, found support in Tim Seifert, Ross Taylor and Colin de Grandhomme, as he took New Zealand to 96/1 at the halfway stage. England, led by Chris Jordan's excellence at the death, checked the run-flow to some extent, but Neesham's stroke-filled 42 off 22 balls took the hosts to 176/8 at the end of 20 overs.

England's chase was dented by the early wickets of Bairstow and James Vince, before Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan began resurrecting the innings. However, their untimely wickets pushed them further behind in the contest. Jordan revived hopes with three fours and as many sixes during his 19-ball 36, but it was all too late by then.

What they said

Tim Southee, New Zealand captain: "We executed our plans a little better, we need to keep changing depending on the ground and the sizes. We'll chop and change sides when we get to Nelson. We are always looking to get better. There is still scope for improving in all three areas, but if we can keep playing the brand of cricket we like, then we'll go in the right direction."

Eoin Morgan, England captain:"A lot of things can happen between games. We need to keep a nice aggressive mindset, and maintaining it is important, especially with a young side. It is important to learn from mistakes and come back strong."

Conditions

A moderate breeze, with mostly overcast conditions (93% cloud cover), is expected in Nelson on Tuesday. The only T20I played here previously dates back to December 2017, when New Zealand outclassed West Indies by 47 runs.