Australia vs New Zealand, 2nd ONE-DAY Match Prediction 15 Mar 2020

Fortunes change in cricket pretty fast. Australia had come into this series after a whitewash against South Africa and New Zealand after whitewashing the Indian side. But the tables turned in the first game where the Australians won comprehensively by 71 runs. The match was played in front of empty stands due to the fear of coronavirus and it wasn’t a pleasant sight for any cricket fan in the world.

As the two sides go into the next game the Aussies would have plans to seal the series while the Kiwis would be looking to level it. The Kiwis have lost the last seven games they have played on Australian soil with their last victory coming way back in 2009 when only one member of the present squad Ross Taylor was in the team. An entire generation of Kiwi cricketers hasn’t won an ODI game in Australia. This is likely to play in their minds. The Australians would like to use this psychological edge going into the next game.

There are predictions for rain in Sydney on March 15. The track at Sydney looked on the slower side in the last game where the ball wasn’t coming on to the bat nicely. The doubled paced nature of the surface caused problems for the batsmen. The bowlers had a good run in the last game and shall be looking to make good use of the conditions. A score of 280 runs would be a fighting total here.

Sydney Cricket Ground is one of the toughest wickets in Australia to bat on. The pitch is slow and the large size of the boundaries makes batting a big challenge here. Fast bowlers do well with the new ball at this venue but it is the spinners who have always enjoyed the slow turn that is available on the wicket.

The last few games at Sydney have seen the side batting first winning most games. The pitch tends to get slower as the game progresses which makes it difficult to hit through the line. The side that wins the toss is likely to opt for batting first on this surface.