New Zealand v West Indies First T20 Tips: Bets galore for run fest as Kiwis and Windies kick off five match series

• New Zealand too short to win

• West Indies boast batting power

• Kiwis make changes with no Henry

• Eden Park has been flat

• Seifert and Shepherd player picks

New Zealand v West Indies
Wednesday 5 November, 06:15
TV: Live on TNT

New Zealand v West Indies first T20 team news

New Zealand are not at full-strength for this series. Matt Henry, their pace spearhead, is out injured and is a huge loss. That coupled with a lack of batting power could make them vulnerable.

Fast starter Finn Allen remains out while there is no Glenn Phillips in the middle order. The hosts will be reliant on Tim twins, Seifert and Robinson, to make a platform for the likes of Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell in the middle order. Chapman's form has desetered him while few would be convinced Mitchell is the 360 player required these days. 

Kyle Jamieson is fit again while Jimmy Neesham and Nathan Smith may be vying for the last -allrounder slot. 

Possible New Zealand XI: Seifert, Robinson, Ravindra, Mitchell, Chapman, Bracewell, Neesham, Santner, Jamieson, Sodhi, Duffy

West Indies are confident following a 3-0 sweep aganst Bangladesh. But they will have to switch tactics from bowling the majority overs of spin to pace. So pacers Jayden Seales and Matthew Force are a crucial combination. Both have the talent to make an impact.

Skip Shai Hope comes back into the XI after missing the last T20 against Bangladesh. He should bat at No 3. They have a wealth of options in the opening berth. Brandon King may miss out. 

Unlike New Zealand, there's big boy power galore all the way down to Akeal Hosein, who gets the nod for the spin all-rounder slot ahead of Gudakesh Motie. 

Possible WI XI: Jangoo, Athanaze, Hope, Rutherford, Powell, Chase, Holder, Shepherd, Hosein, Forde, Seales

New Zealand v West Indies first T20 ODI pitch report

We expect runs at Eden Park, Auckland. Even in the washout in the England series recently, we got a hint of what is likely if the weather holds. Around ten an over is a distinct possibility there. At the moment, no rain is forecast.

In night matches the runs per over is up at 9.4. More than 170 has been busted in nine of that 14-game study and both teams to score 200 has copped in three of them.

So there are two possible strategies, play safe or try to land a chunky-priced winner. West Indies at over 164.5 total match runs at 5/61.84 is the cheap, easy option. Both teams to score 200 can be backed at 12s and that looks to be a price which should be a couple of points shorter. 

New Zealand v West Indies first T20 match prediction

New Zealand are one of the most underrated teams in the world across all formats. They are durable, organised and consistently great value. But that's because they often come up against teams who are considered 'bigger'. This is not the case here.

The Kiwis are as short as 1.422/5. Is that a bet on a pitch which could be a slog fest and therefore a leveller? Is that a must-wager considering there is a chase bias under lights? Of course not. 

It is a fact that this is New Zealand's weakest format. They still battle hard but perspiration doesn't count as much as inspiration in T20 and they do lack that batting stardust. They do look overrated here.

West Indies are almsot everything New Zealand are not. That means an sbsolute stinker is always a chance. But at 3.309/4 here with the toss in their favour is clear value.

New Zealand v West Indies first T20 player bets

There are some more than solid win-rate options to take advantage of for this contest. Tim Seifert is first in our thoughts for top Kiwi bat with a close-to-evens ranking on top bat. The study sample is creeping up and so is the hit rate so Sportsbook's 10/34.33 is clearly a bet with Devon Conway the wrong favourite. 

For West Indies, Rovman Powell is very much in the win zone. Winning at 21% we take on Hope's 31% rate. Powell should be skinnier than the 6/17.00 available. 

Finally, with the ball, keep hitting Romario Shepherd for most WI wickets. The 38% win rate holds after the Bangladesh series. He will be bowling at the death for cheap ones and conditions suit him even better. Sportsbook go 7/24.50.

Now read Ed's Ultimate Guide to The Ashes