Aussies' hell-for-leather approach to continue on rapid NZ trip

Australia are vowing to continue their hell-for-leather T20 batting approach on their whistle-stop tour of New Zealand, beginning next week.

Mitch Marsh's men have touched down in the quaint north-island hub of Mount Manganui where they will contest the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, playing three T20Is in four days against the Kiwis from Wednesday.

Alex Carey was en route to NZ on Saturday as a confirmed starter for the series following the recent death of his father Gordon due to leukemia. Carey had been a late call-up to the T20I squad after Josh Inglis suffered a calf injury earlier this month.

The wicketkeeper will slot into a batting line-up which has seen its increasingly cavalier approach produce some remarkable returns in recent T20 series against West Indies and South Africa.

Spinner Adam Zampa, fresh off helping Oval Invincibles to the Hundred title at Lord's last month, suggested there would be more of the same from an Australian top-order that is welcoming back middle-order dynamo, Marcus Stoinis.

"These series are really important, more around style of play and the way we want to play our cricket," Zampa said after landing in NZ.

"We've been trending up the last few series, playing a certain way – particularly the batters, the way they've kind of changed the way that we're going about our T20 cricket.

"So I think it'll just be more of that, working on that stuff."

The Australians have won 14 of their last 16 T20s since failing to make the semi-finals of last year's World Cup, prospering from a clear uptick in aggression even when they have been pinned on the ropes.

Their series-opening win over South Africa in Darwin last month was illustrative of the shift.

The Aussies lost all their recognised batters, bar Tim David, before the end of the eighth over. David proceeded to hit eight sixes, continuing a stunning run of form in international T20 cricket, to underpin what ended up as a comfortable 17-run win.

That was not a one-off.

On smaller grounds in the Caribbean, which bear more similarity to what is expected at next February's T20 World Cup on the subcontinent, Australia were similarly gung-ho through the early stages of their batting innings.

They were seven wickets down when they reeled in totals of 171, 190 and 206 in the fifth, first and fourth T20Is respectively, plowing ahead with little regard for consolidation on each occasion.

Australia made even lighter work of the Windies’ targets of 215 (chased down with six wickets and 23 balls to spare) and 173 (eight wickets, 28 balls) in the third and second T20Is respectively.

Given their commitment to the high-octane approach, how high they bat David will remain an ongoing source of interest leading into next year’s ICC event. The power-hitter, who has made his name as a T20 finisher, has now emerged as Australia’s most consistently destructive batter, rivalling even Travis Head.

The absence in this series of both Inglis and Cameron Green, who is prioritising his red-ball preparation ahead of the Ashes, could allow David to be used at three or four, above the likes of Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Owen.

David batted as high as three in his most recent T20 franchise stint in the Caribbean Premier League for the St Lucia Kings.

Opener Matthew Short will play his first internationals since February's Champions Trophy after returning from injury, while Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett are jostling for fast-bowling spots at the World Cup following the recent T20I retirement of Mitchell Starc.

That trio, along with Stoinis and Josh Hazlewood, will need to shoulder a heavier death-bowling burden with Nathan Ellis missing the series due to paternity leave.

The Aussies are the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy holders following their 3-0 T20I series win over the Black Caps in February last year.

They have never played at Tauranga's Bay Oval, a more familiar venue for Australia's women's team who have played there 10 times since 2016.

"We've always had some great tussles with New Zealand in the past, particularly in New Zealand," said Zampa.

"The contrast between playing in Australia and New Zealand is quite different. Wickets, size of the grounds, the style of cricket changes slightly.

"Last time we were here last year, we had a lot of success, winning 3-0, and we've been playing good T20 cricket. But it'll be a good, tight series."

Qantas Tour of New Zealand

First T20: October 1, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, 4:15pm AEST

Second T20: October 3, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, 4:15pm AEST

First T20: October 4, Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, 4:15pm AEST

New Zealand squad: Michael Bracewell (c), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

All matches live via Kayo Sports and Foxtel