NZ vs WI: 3rd T20I, Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

After a clinical 72-run victory over West Indies in the second T20I, New Zealand will step out tomorrow eyeing a clean sweep over the defending T20 World Cup champions. It is rather odd to find a World Cup-winning team languishing at the 10th spot in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, however, West Indies cannot deny that they have played a disgraceful brand of cricket.

The bowlers have lacked the zing and have faced the heat of the aggressive approach of the New Zealand batters. Despite having some of the most threatening names in their middle-order, the Windies’ batsmen have not been able to perform parallel to their stature and expectations. And as if the two major issues were hurting the team any less, the visitors have faltered continuously in the field too. It is only fair to see them placed where they are after leaving as many holes in their ship.

While the loss in Auckland was one where Pollard’s men showed some fighting spirit, in Mount Maunganui, on Sunday, they were completely outplayed in every department of the game. A 46-ball century from Glenn Phillips, who has played a fair bit of cricket against many of the current players of the West Indies squad in the CPL earlier this year, led New Zealand to post a massive 238 on the board. Out to chase the target after a dismal performance with the ball, Windies showed hardly any intent and never looked in the game as they fell short by a gigantic margin.

With the series gone to the hosts, the Caribbean army will want to own the final game of the series tomorrow at the same venue, in a bid to take some winning momentum into a tough Test series. New Zealand, on the other hand, will be surely eyeing a whitewash.

Pitch and conditions

Expect another run-fest on Monday as the strip was certainly batting-friendly in the second game. The weather forecast, however, does not look too promising, and rain interruptions are expected. 

Playing combinations for NZ vs WI

New Zealand Probable XI 

Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (WK), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Doug Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (C), Hamish Bennett, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi

West Indies Probable XI 

Andre Fletcher, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Rovman Powell, Kieron Pollard (c), Fabian Allen, Keemo Paul, Kyle Mayers/Kesrick Williams, Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell

Probable Top Performers for NZ v WI

Andre Fletcher (WI)

Fletcher took his team to a flying start in the first game before Lockie Ferguson rattled him and many around him. In the second game too, Fletcher started aggressively and got off to a start after smacking a couple of sixes. Some hesitation while taking a single led to an unfortunate dismissal, although given his fluency with the bat thus far, and his team struggling to find a win, Fletcher would be keen to play a knock of substance tomorrow.

Glenn Phillips (NZ)

Phillips was at his devastating best in the game on Sunday. He slammed a ton off just 46 balls, the fastest for a Kiwi batsman in T20Is, and his 108-run Man of the Match knock comprised of 10 boundaries and 8 sixes. In the first encounter at Auckland, Phillips did not last too long at the crease, however, his rocket cameo of 22 from just 7 proved crucial in the context of the chase. With 130 runs in the series already, expect him to take the attack on the opponents once again on Monday.

NZ vs WI Head to Head

Played – 15 | NZ –9 | WI – 5 | NR – 1

NZ vs WI Broadcast details 

Match Timings- 11:30 AM (IST), 07:00 PM (Local)

Live Streaming– Fancode

The prediction is for New Zealand to whitewash West Indies.