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The Sky Stadium will host the opening match of the T20I series between New Zealand and Australia tomorrow evening (February 21). The game will start at 7:10 pm local time (11:40 am IST).
The ICC T20 World Cup will be held later this year in USA and West Indies. Australia and New Zealand were the finalists of the mega event in 2021. They will aim to finalize their combinations in the upcoming series to ensure they get the best results in the upcoming grand tournament.
Before the first T20I begins, here's a look at the pitch history and T20I records of the Sky Stadium in Wellington.
Sky Stadium, Wellington T20I records and stats
The conditions in Wellington equally help the batters and bowlers. Australian spinner Ashton Agar claimed six wickets in a T20I match against New Zealand at this venue back on March 3, 2021.
Here are some other important stats fans should know from the previous T20I matches played at the Sky Stadium:
T20I Matches played: 16
Matches won by teams batting first: 7
Matches won by teams batting second: 8
Matches tied: 0
Matches abandoned: 1
Highest team total: 219/6 - New Zealand vs. India, 2019
Lowest team total: 101 - Pakistan vs. New Zealand, 2016
Highest successful run-chase: 163/6 - New Zealand vs. West Indies, 2014
Average Run Rate: 8.04
Highest individual score: 84 - Tim Seifert (NZ) vs. India, 2019
Best bowling figures: 6/30 - Ashton Agar (AUS) vs. New Zealand, 2021
Average first innings score: 162
Sky Stadium, Wellington pitch report
The pitch report for the first T20I between Australia and New Zealand will be broadcast live from Wellington before the toss. Generally, the wicket has been good for batters and spin bowlers.
Teams batting first and teams batting second have achieved almost equal success on this ground. Hence, the toss may not play a major role in this contest.
Sky Stadium, Wellington last T20I
The last T20I on this ground was between India and New Zealand on November 18, 2022. The game was abandoned due to rain. Speaking of the previous completed fixture at this venue, New Zealand beat Australia by seven wickets on March 7, 2021.
Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi's three-wicket haul helped the Kiwis restrict their Trans-Tasman rivals to 142/8 in 20 overs. Opener Martin Guptill's 71-run knock inspired New Zealand to a comfortable victory in 15.3 overs.
Twelve sixes were hit by the batters in that T20I contest. Eleven wickets fell in 35.3 overs, with spinners taking four of them.
Here's a short summary of the scorecard:
Brief Scores: New Zealand 143/3 (Martin Guptill 71, Riley Meredith 2/39) beat Australia 142/8 (Matthew Wade 44, Ish Sodhi 3/24) by 7 wickets.
