Australia hoping to take lead against injury-hit Kiwis
The Aussies will look for a win in the third ODI at Hamilton to a take a lead in the 5-ODI series. New Zealand will be without the services of Ross Taylor and James Franklin after they were injured over the weekend.
New Zealand will be hoping to bounce back from the defeat at Auckland but their chances have received a big blow with injuries to Ross Taylor and James Franklin. The injuries could not have come at a worst time with a lot of the other first team players already missing from action. The hosts might hand Shanan Stewart his first International appearance if Ross Taylor is not available. Despite all the injuries, New Zealand have been extremely competitive in the first two matches and pushed Australia to the limit. Daniel Vettori will continue to be their key man once again after his brilliant performance on Saturday. But it will be of utmost importance for Gareth Hopkins, Peter Ingram and Nathan McCullum to play a crucial part if the Kiwis are to get the better of their opponents.
Australia would be pleased to have responded with a win in the second ODI but also disappointed about letting New Zealand stay in with a chance till very late in the game. They got a very competitive total on the board but once again, none of their batsmen could go on to play a long innings to anchor their charge. Michael Clarke has been disappointing so far and will be looking to play an impactful role at Auckland. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin will be happy with the good starts but the key man for the visitors has been Michael Hussey. Hussey has looked to be in supreme touch and would be eyeing another steady performance with the bat.
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