NZ vs AUS Dream11 prediction: 3 players you could pick as captain or vice-captain for today's World T20 Warm-up match - October 18th, 2021
New Zealand and Australia will lock horns in Match No. 12 of the T20 World Cup 2021 warm-up on Monday, October 18 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium Nursery 2 in Abu Dhabi.
Australia, led by Aaron Finch, haven’t had the best of times in T20Is of late. They will be going into the game on the back of eight defeats in their last 10 T20Is. The Aussies lost 1-4 at the hands of the West Indies after which Bangladesh slapped them with a defeat by the same margin.
Finch is also returning after surgery on his right knee and how he makes a comeback remains to be seen. The Aussies have had several closely-fought contests against the Black Caps and the upcoming game is expected to be a thriller as well.
The Black Caps, led by Kane Williamson, have never won an ICC trophy in the limited-overs formats. But a win in the World Test Championship final against India should give them a lot of confidence. A number of their players also took part in the 2021 edition of the IPL.
Since the IPL took place in the UAE, their players must be accustomed to the conditions. The Kiwis recently sent their squad to Bangladesh, but none of the players on that tour are part of the multi-nation tournament.
On that note, here are the top three players you can pick as the captain of your Dream11 team for this warm-up game between New Zealand and Australia.
#3 Kane Williamson (New Zealand)
Kane Williamson isn’t an out-and-out T20I batter, who’s known for playing audacious strokes. Rather, he is someone who scores through running between wickets and with the odd boundary.
Williamson recently played some handy knocks for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2021 IPL, albeit his team finished at the bottom. In 67 T20Is, the Tauranga-born has scored 1805 runs that includes 13 half-centuries.
#2 David Warner (Australia)
David Warner wasn’t in the greatest of form when he played for SRH in the IPL. Although he scored a couple of fifties, he looked far from his best. The southpaw was eventually dropped from the squad.
However, having played 81 T20Is for Australia, the 34-year-old is expected to deliver in the World Cup. Warner has scored 2265 runs in his T20I career for the Aussies at an average of 31.45 and a strike rate of 139.72.
#1 Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
Glenn Maxwell is a brute in the middle order irrespective of the team he is representing. The 33-year-old has scored 1780 runs for his national team at an average of 31.78 and a strike rate of 158.92.
The Victorian was also in stupendous form while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 IPL. In fact, he was their leading run-scorer in the tournament above the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.