Australia have made a big call on their spin attack at Eden Park, while the White Ferns are batting first after Suzie Bates won the toss
No room for King as Australia bowl first in opening NZ T20I
Ashes hero Alana King has been left out of Australia’s XI for the opening T20I at Auckland's Eden Park, with New Zealand to bat first after captain Suzie Bates won the toss.
King was recalled in the shortest format for the first time in two years during the multi-format Ashes in January off the back of excellent one-day form, and with a spot available in the XI due to the absence of an injured Ashleigh Gardner.
But with Gardner now fit and firing, Australia have stuck with their preferred T20I leggie Georgia Wareham – who was the leading wicket taker in the Ashes T20Is – for the first of three T20Is in New Zealand, leaving no room for King.
New Zealand XI: Suzie Bates (c), Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine, Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Jess Kerr, Polly Inglis (wk), Lea Tahuhu, Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson
Australia XI: Beth Mooney (wk), Georgia Voll, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia McGrath (c), Grace Harris, Georgia Wareham, Megan Schutt, Darcie Brown
Darcie Brown will take the new ball alongside Megan Schutt, with Kim Garth and Nicole Faltum the other two squad members missing out.
Australia’s ultra-deep batting order means Grace Harris has been named at No.8.
Tahlia McGrath, leading the Aussies in the absence of the injured Alyssa Healy, implored her team to play their most aggressive cricket.
"(We want to be) brave, fearless, aggressive," McGrath said.
"We bat so deep, (so we need to) showcase our talent, play with no fear, knowing that if it doesn't come off there's someone ready to walk out to the wicket to do the job.
"Same with the ball, attacking field sets, attacking mindset, aggressive nature and just trying to push the game forward as much as we can."
New Zealand meanwhile have welcomed back three superstars to their XI, after Sophie Devine, Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu all missed their drawn series against Sri Lanka earlier this month.
Devine has returned after taking a break from the game, Tahuhu from a hamstring injury and Kerr from the Women’s Premier League in India.
Polly Inglis, who made her international debut in both white-ball formats against Sri Lanka, has retained her spot behind the stumps with Izzy Gaze still recovering from a hip flexor strain.
Bates has remained interim White Ferns T20 skipper, with New Zealand yet to name a full-time replacement for Devine who stepped down following their T20 World Cup triumph in October.
The trans-Tasman series wraps up a seven-month period of non-stop cricket for the Australia players, whose next assignment will be an ODI series in India in September ahead of the ODI World Cup in October.
CommBank T20I tour of New Zealand
Australia T20 squad: Tahlia McGrath (c), Ashleigh Gardner (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicole Faltum, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Voll, Georgia Wareham
New Zealand T20 squad: Suzie Bates (c), Eden Carson, Sophie Devine, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Polly Inglis, Bella James, Fran Jonas, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Georgia Plimmer, Lea Tahuhu
First T20 | March 21: Eden Park, Auckland
Second T20 | March 23: Bay Oval, Tauranga
Third T20 | March 26: Sky Stadium, Wellington
All games start at 12.45pm AEDT, 2.45pm NZDT and will be broadcast live on Foxtel and Kayo Sports