New Zealand v West Indies Second T20 tips: Windies underrated for 2-0 lead

• New Zealand odds still too short for the win

• Seifert absence a major blow for hosts

• Eden Park pitch could have been slow

• Shepherd a must bet

• Hay called up for Kiwis

New Zealand v West Indies
Thursday 6 November, 06:15
TV: Live on TNT

New Zealand v West Indies second T20 team news

New Zealand have suffered a major blow with Tim Seifert, their best batter, being ruled out of the series with a broken finger. He missed game one after a break was confirmed following a bash in a domestic game.

His place goes to Mitch Hay. Hay strikes at 140 in T20s domestically, a number which comes down to 127 in internationals. He is a middle order player so the hosts are likely to continue with the Conway-Robinson opening combination for at least one more game. There remains a distinct lack of power.

Probable New Zealand XI: Conway, Robinson, Ravindra, Mitchell, Chapman, Bracewell, Neesham, Santner, Foulkes, Jamieson, Duffy

West Indies have put together four impressive wins on the spin now. Their success in game one followed three strong performances in tough conditions in Bangladesh.

But there is still work to be done. Their total of 164 batting first was below par and they should have been more ruthless with the bat. That meant targetting the straight boundaries and, more controversially, recognising that Roston Chase was stuck in treacle and retiring him.

They have tremendous finishing power and they need to get in big hitters like Romaruo Shepherd and Jason Holder as quickly as possible when they're struggling. Still, they bowled superbly with Jayden Seales and Chase taking three wickets apiece. 

Possible WI XI: King, Athanaze, Hope, Auguste, Chase, Powell, Holder, Shepherd, Hosein, Forde, Seales

New Zealand v West Indies second T20 ODI pitch report

We expected runs at Eden Park, Auckland, but didn't get them. Was that down to poor tactics from West Indies, good bowling or the pitch being completely different to what we've seen before? In night matches previously the runs per over was up at 9.4. More than 170 had been busted in nine of the previous 14.

There were some dismissals which suggested it was a little slower and lower than usual.  So we are not gung-ho about runs, particularly as the Kiwis have been depleted in terms of fast scoring with Seifert's absence. 

If we are to play on runs it will be with the Windies, gambling on them getting the batting order sorted and showing more aggression. Their first-innings runs line is likely to be low 170s. That's about a five-run cut from what it started as for game one. 

New Zealand v West Indies second T20 match prediction

What was most impressive about the Windies' opening win was how they busted a chase bias with a below-par score. They squeezed expertly and Mitch Santner's 55-ball 28 made the game look closer than it was. In reality,  from 107 for nine, Santner was just chancing his arm with the freedom that knowing the game is up brings.

Before the first match these pages said that the gulf expected by the match odds was false. New Zealand are efficient, nasty to play against and durable. But not in this format. Their record is nothing to write home about. And key men are missing. Seifert, Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry are automatic picks. 

So the Windies remain underrated at 3.02/1 on the Betfair Exchange, which is a small cut from 3.309/4. We don't need to believe that the Kiwis are inferior, merely that this is should be much closer to a choice affair. West Indies are the bet. 

New Zealand v West Indies second T20 player bets

Seifert's absence from the series has denied us the chance to bet one of the most reliable top-batsmen in the world. In his absence there is very little to get excited about for the hosts.

But the standout bet is Shepherd with the ball for WI. He is always in the mix for wickets considering his death bowling and we know he has a sensational return rate. Take the 4s from Sportsbook.

Now read Ed's Ultimate Guide to The Ashes