Big-hitting Allen key to dismantling Aussie pace blitz

New Zealand might be minus a host of household names for the three-match T20I Series against Australia, but they still boast a record-setting young top-order hitter whose huge potential is already known to his trans-Tasman rivals.

Finn Allen made his international debut less than three years ago, but was the Black Caps star performer in last month's 4-1 T20 demolition of Pakistan in New Zealand in which the 24-year-old was named player of the series.

Deployed as opener alongside Devon Conway, Allen blasted 275 runs from just 155 balls faced (at a strike rate of 195) from his five innings crowned by his career-high 137 (off 62 deliveries) at Dunedin's University Oval.

That knock, which set up his team's 45-run win, featured 16 sixes which equalled the record for most blows over the boundary struck by a batter in a T20I innings alongside Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai against Ireland at Dehradun (India) in 2019.

Allen's blistering recent form could help cover the loss of NZ's other T20 top-order batting regulars Kane Williamson (paternity leave), Daryl Mitchell (foot injury) and Tim Seifert (torn adductor).

The Black Caps will also be without allrounders Michael Bracewell (finger injury) and Jimmy Neesham (Bangladesh Premier League) as well as fast bowler Matt Henry (hip soreness), while seamer Trent Boult will only be available for games two and three of the Australia series in Auckland.

Allen has played just two limited-overs internationals against his nation's near neighbours and staunch rivals, but Australia's vaunted pace attack felt the sting of his blade when he bludgeoned 42 from 16 balls at the SCG in a memorable start to NZ's 2022 T20 World Cup campaign.

The right-hander clubbed five boundaries and three sixes as the Black Caps handed the Cup hosts an 89-run mauling, taking 14 from Mitchell Starc's opening over and a further 16 when Starc was replaced by Pat Cummins before Josh Hazlewood fired a yorker into his stumps.

The same three front-line bowlers are in Australia's 15-man squad for the three-match T20I series starting at Wellington's Sky Stadium tomorrow, and skipper Mitchell Marsh – who was also part of the XI in that World Cup defeat – knows what his team can expect from NZ's power hitter.

"Finn is an outstanding talent," Marsh said today.

"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."

Allen's only other outing against Australia was an ODI at Cairns in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, where he scored a comparatively sedate 35 (from 38 balls) at the top of the order as NZ fell 25 runs short of their victory target of 268.

But the former New Zealand Under-19 representative is acutely aware of the intense rivalry that exists between the neighbours.

He cites the fastest Test century on record, by former NZ skipper (now England coach) Brendon McCullum at Christchurch in 2016 against an Australia XI that included Marsh, as his most evocative boyhood memory of trans-Tasman encounters.

And he wouldn't rule out trying to emulate ex-Black Caps batter Craig McMillan who became the first to land a ball on the grandstand roof at Wellington Stadium when he launched Australia's Andrew Symonds during a 2005 ODI, a feat later repeated by NZ's Martin Guptill against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup.

"It's always the goal, but just assess the wicket and they've got a quality bowling line-up so we'll have to earn the right to try and do that," Allen said today.

"Every time the Aussies come over here it's a challenge, and I watched some good series as a youngster so looking forward to getting stuck into them."

He added that his assault on Australia's three-pronged pace battery at the start of the teams' most recent T20I encounter in 2022 was in line with the approach McCullum took into his farewell Test at Christchurch's Hagley Oval, and now preaches to his England charges.

"We just wanted to strike first against them, it's what we talked about and that mantra of throwing the first punch," Allen said of the Black Caps stunning World Cup win at the SCG.

"It obviously worked well that day for the team, so hopefully we can go into it with a similar mindset (tomorrow).

"A little bit of individual success is always nice, and take the confidence going forward, but I have no doubt they're going to come firing at us this series and it should be a good challenge."

NZ's T20 captain Mitchell Santner, filling in for regular skipper Williamson during this Australia series, noted Allen's explosive hitting at the top of the order will be crucial to the Black Caps' hopes of landing their first global limited-overs trophy at next June's World Cup in the Caribbean and USA.

However, Santner also acknowledged Australia boast similar firepower in their batting with left-handed duo David Warner and Travis Head confirmed as the opening duo followed by Marsh who will continue to bat at number three ahead of Glenn Maxwell.

"Someone who can take the game away from you at the start is pretty important," Santner said today.

"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.

"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."

Qantas Tour of New Zealand

February 21: First T20, Wellington, 5.10pm AEDT

February 23: Second T20, Auckland, 5.10pm AEDT

February 25: Third T20, Auckland, 11am AEDT

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

February 29 – March 4: First Test, Wellington, 9am AEDT

March 8-12: Second Test, Christchurch, 9am AEDT

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc

New Zealand Test squad: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson, Will Young.