Trans-Tasman T20I Tri-Series – Combined XI

Australia started off the Trans-Tasman Tri-Series with a 7-wicket win over the Kiwis and concluded it with another victory against the same opponent. They were the first team to qualify for the final having won all the matches in the Australia leg of the series. Neither England nor New Zealand could challenge the Aussie team under David Warner. On the night of the final they were dominant once again and having bowled the Blackcaps out for 150 were well on course towards a win when rain interrupted and killed any further play. Australia won the match by 19 runs via the D/L method. Thus they lifted the tri-series with five straight wins. Captain Warner and coach Ricky Ponting will be pretty pleased with the effort of the team as they were clinical in all the three departments of the game as well as on the strategy front. Colin Munro Colin Munro of New Zealand bats. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images) The New Zealand opener needed quite some time to get going, he returned with 3 and 11 in the first couple of games against Australia and England. He finally played a knock at par with expectations when things moved back home. In their 3rd match in Auckland he scored 76 and helped the Blackcaps post a massive score against the Aussies; though they eventually ended up on the losing side. He followed it up with another half century against the England in Hamilton and scored 29 in the final also bagging a wicket to complement his effort. Martin Guptill Martin Guptill. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) Munro’s partner was consistent all the way through this series. Martin Guptill was dismissed for just 5 in the first match but thereafter hit two fifties and a hundred to muscle New Zealand into the final. He blipped in the final returning with just 21 and that was a major reason his team couldn’t post a daunting target. Guptill was the highest run-scorer of the series with 258 runs to his name in 5 innings. His average of 51.60 is tremendous for the shortest format of the game and that coupled with a strike rate of 160 justifies the kind of reputation he carries. The opener’s best score was 105 in the Auckland match against Australia. D’Arcy Short D’Arcy Short of Australia walks onto the field. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) D’Arcy John Matthew Short though was to make his debut in the series but already carried a lot of reputation. Having set the stage on fire in the Big Bash League which earned him an IPL contract from the Rajasthan Royals a lot of eyes were on Short and he didn’t disappoint. He had a forgettable debut scoring just 4 against the Kiwis, followed it up with a couple of thirties and finished off the tournament with a 76 and 50 against the hosts in the last two matches. He ended the series with 196 runs in his account. Dawid Malan Dawid Malan. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images) The only English player to make any sort of impact in the Tri-Series was this top order batsman. Dawid Malan scored three half-centuries in the four innings where he batted and tried his best to push England towards a total of substance. It was the collective failure of the entire team that failed him. The team could only win their last match of the series that by 2 runs. Malan finished with 172 runs in 4 innings and England at least had one positive to take back. Jos Buttler Jos Buttler. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Though Buttler is the preferred keeper in this team, don’t be mistaken he made a cut only because the other two keepers had worse time out there. He is the vice-captain of this England team and has a lot of responsibility on him in terms of batting as well as with the gloves. Jos Buttler scored 55 runs in the 4 innings with the best of 46 and contributed with 3 catches in the same match against Australia in Melbourne. Apart from that he scored 9 runs and had no value to add from behind the stumps either. Glenn Maxwell Australia batsman Glenn Maxwell. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) There was tremendous pressure on him and Glenn Maxwell batted, he bowled, he fielded and was everywhere Australia needed him in this series. He scored an unbeaten 40 against the Blackcaps and followed it up with a 103* against England in Hobart. Thereafter his scores were 39, 31 and 20 respectively. Maxwell also picked 3 wickets with the ball. His 233 runs at an average of 116.50 was the standout batting performance in the series for Australia and it will certainly help the big man moving forward in the season. Kane Richardson Kane Richardson of Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) Kane Richardson was the second highest wicket-taker in the series with 8 wickets. The pacer played all the matches for Australia and though wasn’t the most economical did get his team key breakthroughs. His best bowling figures in the series were 3/33 against England in Melbourne. In the final Richardson got a couple of wickets and once again played his part in the team’s win. Andrew Tye Andrew Tye of Australia celebrates. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images) Arguably the highest rated T20 pacer at the moment Tye was coming into the series with some really good BBL performances to boast of. He carried on his form and finished the series as the highest wicket-taker. He picked 10 wickets in 5 matches and maintained an average of 17.40 which is amazing in the shortest format. Tye was at his very best against New Zealand in the very first match of the Tri-Series where he claimed a four-wicket haul. Right through the series, he was good both at the start of the innings and towards the end as well. Though he tends to be a bit expensive the wickets tally justifies his worth in the team. Billy Stanlake Billy Stanlake of Australia celebrates with his team. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) The 6ft 6-inch tall pacer was the X-factor in the Australian team for the series. Billy Stanlake who represented the Adelaide Strikers and put up a few prominent performances in the BBL as a result he was drafted in the Australian team for this series. Stanlake had an excellent debut where he stunned the Kiwis to pick 3/15 in his 4 overs. As the tournament progressed though the wickets tally wasn’t as rich, he consistently challenged the batsmen. Stanlake finished the series with 8 wickets to his name and is certainly one to watch out for in the future. Ashton Agar Ashton Agar of Australia. (Photo by MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images) The only spinner who finds a place in this XI, Ashton Agar had a lot of eyes on him. Warner relied a lot on the left-arm spinner to hold the flow of the game in the middle overs. In the five matches he picked 7 wickets. The 24-year-old had the best night in the final where he claimed three wickets and finished the game with figures of 4-0-3-15. His economy of 6.38 was the cheapest among the other bowlers who played all the five matches. Trent Boult Trent Boult celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Getty Images) New Zealand certainly expected a much better performance from their lead pacer but Trent Boult still was their best. The series was played mostly on surfaces that are proven paradise for the faster bowlers and was little a seamer could do. Boult ended the series with 8 wickets and his best performance 3/50 was against England in Hamilton.

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Trans-Tasman T20I Tri-Series – Combined XI

Australia won all the matches in the series and went on to claim the trophy.

Martin Guptill

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