New Zealand vs Australia Prediction: Backing the Aussies to get off with a bang

Australia wrapped up a comfortable win in the first T20 on Wednesday despite a battling century from Tim Robinson, meaning New Zealand need a win here to keep the series alive.

Dan Thomas previews the second clash, live on TNT Sport from 07:15 on Friday, as he brings us his New Zealand vs Australia IT20 predictions…

*You can check out all of the Cricket Odds available on offer from us at betfred.com

New Zealand

After being reduced to 6 for 3 in the Powerplay, a superb maiden T20 century from Tim Robinson rescued New Zealand from total disaster in the series opener at the Bay Oval on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old, who was only a late addition after Rachin Ravindra was ruled out with a facial injury picked up in training, shared a partnership of 92 with Daryl Mitchell which got the Kiwis up to what looked like a solid if not outstanding total of 181.

The bowling unit was unable to back up, however, and an opening stand of 67 in just 5.3 overs from Australia openers, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head, meant New Zealand were never realistically in the game, with the Aussies easing to a six-wicket victory with 21 balls to spare.

Australia

Eyebrows may have been raised when Marsh won the toss and opted to field, given the huge bias to the chasing team at the Bay Oval (11 wins from 14), but the early breakthroughs from Josh Hazelwood and Ben Dwarshuis showed the call was a good one.

In what were tough conditions for a spinner, with high winds and cold temperatures, Adam Zampa once again highlighted his value to the team, going for just 6.75 an hour - despite being whacked for six off his first ball.

With the bat, Marsh and Head were destructive at the top of the order - although the skipper will feel he missed out on a great chance for a century, holing out on 85 - and Matthew Short looked bright, scoring a breezy 29 off 18 balls.

Pitch & conditions

The Bay Oval pitch looked a good one for batting in the first T20, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. The windy conditions made it difficult for the bowlers to maintain control from both ends and aided the six count, with 15 maximums scored across the evening. There is some rain around in the afternoon on Friday and it promises to be blustery again.

Key odds 

After the dominant performance in the opener, Australia have been clipped in from 4/9 to 4/11 for Friday’s clash, with the Kiwis pushed out from 7/4 to 2/1.

Devon Conway heads the market for top New Zealand batter at 14/5, with Seifert at 10/3 despite going cheaply on Wednesday. Robinson is a 4/1 shot to repeat his top scoring efforts. For the Aussies, Head and Marsh have been shortened slightly, with both priced up at 13/5, with Tim David and Short next up at 4/1 and 9/2 respectively.

Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy share favouritism to take most wickets for the Kiwis, at 11/4, with Hazelwood (11/4) and Zampa (3/1) topping the market for the visitors.

*For all the latest and live New Zealand vs Australia Odds then head over to betfred.com 

Best Bets:

New Zealand badly missed experienced heads such as Mitch Santner, Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips in the opener and it’s hard to make a case for them here at 2/1. But with Robinson in confident mood after that century, we will back him to beat his runs line of 18.5.

Marsh and Head are now a touch short for top batter honours given the explosive nature of the Aussie middle order, but we will back the opening pair to score over 7.5 runs in the first over for our second selection. They hit Matt Henry for 10 in the opener.

Dan Thomas 2025 Cricket P/L:

• Staked: 53pts
• Returned: 42.66pts
• P/L: -10.34pts

Find more Cricket Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights