NZ vs AUS: Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis hold hands before first T20I in hilarious moment

New Zealand and Australia kicked off their multi-format series by facing off in the first T20I of the series at the Sky Stadium in Wellington on Wednesday, February 21. Ahead of the start of the first T20I, a hilarious moment ensued between star Australian cricketers Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis.

As the visitors walked out onto the stadium holding the hands of children, the kids ran out when it was Hazlewood’s turn to walk out. However, Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis shared a hilarious moment as both players attempted to hold each other’s hands to walk out. 

The clip of the moment has been going viral all over social media, as both players later laughed it off as they walked out onto the pitch. 

Australia get off to a flying start in the first T20I

Speaking of the clash, New Zealand and Australia faced off in the first T20I, and the game began with the BlackCaps batting first after winning the toss. The hosts opened the innings with Finn Allen and Devon Conway scoring 32 and 63 runs, respectively. 

Rachin Ravindra added 68 runs to the board as New Zealand posted a total of 215 runs in the first innings. As for Australia, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh were among the wicket-takers, with one wicket each to their names. 

Aiming to chase down a target of 216 runs, Australia got off to a subpar start as openers Travis Head and David Warner were dismissed for 24 and 32 runs, respectively. However, skipper Marsh played a resilient knock, scoring 72* runs in 44 deliveries. 

Furthermore, with Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, and Tim David adding 25, 20, and 31* runs on the board, respectively, Australia managed to chase down the target and win the game by six wickets. After gaining the lead in the series, the Men in Yellow will hope for a similar outcome in the second T20I when they take on New Zealand on Friday, February 23.

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