NZ vs WI, 2020: 3-match T20I series – Statistical Preview

The 3-match T20I series between New Zealand and West Indies starting on Friday will mark the return of both teams into International cricket after nine months. The Eden Park in Auckland will be hosting the series opener while the rest will be played at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. New Zealand has made selections keeping an eye over the Test series which will follow after T20Is as Tim Southee will be leading the team in first two games while Mitchell Santner will take up the role for the final game.

Here are key stats and numbers to look out ahead of the NZ vs WI T20I series:

0 – West Indies is yet to win even one match outright in the T20I format on New Zealand soil. West Indies has featured in eight T20Is in New Zealand thus far and lost in as many as five of them. One game during the 2017-18 tour ended without a result while two NZ-WI T20Is played at Auckland’s Eden Park ended in a Tie (NZ won bowl out in 2006 while WI won super over in 2008). Eden Park will be hosting the first game of the 3-match T20I series.

1 – West Indies has won only one T20I game against New Zealand in the last eight years. Both the teams have met seven times in these eight years in T20Is where the Blackcaps won five while another fixture ended without a result.

7 – New Zealand has not won any of their last seven T20I matches which includes four outright defeats and three losses during Super Over. All the seven T20I matches which New Zealand played during this 7-match winless streak was at home only.

17-2 – Kieron Pollard has won 17 of the 20 matches he has captained in the Twenty20 format in 2020 all while losing only two games. The year began with a defeat in the hands of Ireland and was followed by a washout against the Irish team. Later, Pollard caught up a 15-match winning streak in T20s as captain until Mumbai Indians suffered a defeat against Rajasthan Royals under the Caribbean all-rounder.

50 – Colin Munro has a batting average of 50 in the T20I format against West Indies as he scored 250 runs across five innings over them. Munro has a strike rate of 190.83 against the Caribbean side in T20s as he smashed a century and two fifties.

50 – Only David Miller (57) and Shoaib Malik (50) have claimed 50 or more catches as a fielder in Men’s T20I cricket. Both Martin Guptill (47) and Ross Taylor (46) have a chance to enter this list if they claim three and four catches respectively.

298 – Number of sixes Ross Taylor has struck in Twenty20 cricket thus far. He needs two more maximums to become just the 4th player from New Zealand to hit 300 sixes in the Twenty20 format. Taylor will play only first two games of the 3-match T20I series.

694 – Number of sixes which Kieron Pollard has hit in the Twenty20 format till date. The West Indies captain needs six more maximums to become just the 2nd player after Chris Gayle (1001) to hit as many as 700 T20 sixes.