‘Underdogs’ New Zealand vow to ‘fight’ in T20 series with Australia

The Black Caps and Australia last met in a T20 series three years ago, with hosts New Zealand winning 3-2.

“It’s special,” Santner said. “We probably don’t play Australia as much as we probably should, but the trans-Tasman clash is always good fun.”

“Looking at their squad at the moment, they’re a very, very good team with all bases covered,” added the all-rounder.

“We’ve just got to do our thing, we’ve got our plans in place.”

The tourists, captained by Mitchell Marsh, are at full-strength.

David Warner, who recently retired from Test cricket, is 54 runs away from overtaking former captain Aaron Finch as Australia’s all-time leading scorer in men’s T20s.

New Zealand have rested world-class batsman Kane Williamson but added experienced seamer Trent Boult to their attack.

“We know how good they’re going to be and how explosive their team is,” Santner said of the Australians.

“So for us it’s just about staying in for as long as we can and see what happens.

“We want to put up a good fight this series, then we can look forward after that.”

The T20 series is followed by two Tests.