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Australia T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh outlined the threat New Zealand's power hitter Finn Allen carries ahead of the upcoming three-match series between the trans-Tasman rivals.
Allen earned his maiden cap in the T20I format less than three years ago and has established himself as a batter who excels in striking the ball effortlessly. He made his mark in New Zealand's 4-1 series triumph over Pakistan with his blistering batting display. The 24-year-old smashed 275 runs from just 155 balls, at a strike rate of 195 in his five innings. He registered his career-high score of 137 at Dunedin's University Oval in the third T20I of the series. "Finn is an outstanding talent. His record over the past 12 months especially at home in New Zealand, he can take the game away from you in that Powerplay. So the onus is on us to try and take a few wickets in the Powerplay and put them on the back foot," Marsh said as quoted by cricket.com.au. While Allen proves to be a crucial figure for providing a fiery start to the Kiwis in the opening phase, skipper Mitchell Santner is also aware of the threat that Australian batters carry. Santner acknowledged that the Baggy Greens carry an impressive amount of firepower with their left-handed opening partnership duo of David Warner and Travis Head with Glenn Maxwell sitting at number 3 spot. "Someone who can take the game away from you at the start is pretty important. We know that power game he (Allen) has got, and in that last series (against Pakistan) he showed that if he does get going, he can singlehandedly win a game for us. We know on the flip side that Warner, Head, Marsh; all these guys do the same," Santner said. "It's trying to generate the strike rate in the Powerplay. That's the best time to bat, then cash in if you can after that. We think the combo between Conway and Finn is a good one - Conway likes to have a little look then Finn, obviously, doesn't. It's that kind of combo we are banking on for the World Cup, then Kane (Williamson) and guys like that come in after that," he added. Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa New Zealand T20 squad: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Santner (c), Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult. (ANI)
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