Both teams will face each other on the back of comprehensive wins in their opening games
Australia had swept New Zealand 3-0 just before the T20 World Cup • Getty Images
Australia vs New Zealand
Sharjah, 6pm local time
Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham
New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (capt), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
Tournament form guide: Both teams started their campaigns with emphatic wins. Defending champions Australia handed Sri Lanka a six-wicket loss and New Zealand stunned India by 58 runs.
News brief: These two teams had just met for a three-match T20I series in Australia, who won 3-0. New Zealand also came into the tournament with a winless streak of 10 straight games but the manner in which they took on India, from ball one, belied their recent form and was the best kind of start they could have had before running into their trans-Tasman rivals. The toss many not be as crucial in Sharjah for the evening game because not as much dew is expected there, proven by the wins registered by the teams batting first there in the evening games. The pitches there have kept low, turned, and not offered much for the batters, with not even one team crossing 120, before the England vs South Africa clash.
Player to watch: Amelia Kerr is a top allrounder, but it’s her T20I record against Australia that doesn’t do justice to her reputation. Her batting strike rate against them is under 96 with an average of under 18, and her economy rate is over seven an over even though she has picked 16 wickets – the joint-most for her against any opponent – against them. She would want to leak fewer runs on Tuesday in spin-friendly conditions while continuing to take wickets, and also show her technique against spin while batting whether her team requires quick runs or a more watchful approach, depending on conditions and match situation.
Vishal Dikshit is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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