4 Fantastico Battles that could impact the 1st ODI between Aus and NZ

The Chappell-Hadlee ODI series starts tomorrow between the Trans-Tasman rivals and it promises to make for wonderful viewing. Both these teams have a number of match winners in their ranks who are capable of turning the course of any cricket match with their astounding ability. There are many sub-plots which will unravel slowly and which will ultimately decide who will win the match.

Let us have a look at 4 Fantastico Battles that might have an impact on the overall game.

David Warner and Steve Smith Vs Trent Boult

Last time these two teams meet at the Eden Park in Auckland, Trent Boult bowled a dream spell of 5-3-3-5 to wreck the Aussie middle order. Warner and Smith were not amongst his victims and they will be eager to boss him in this contest. It promises to be an interesting duel between the best swing bowler in world cricket today against two of the most dangerous and consistent batsmen going around. The short boundaries at Eden Park may not amount to much of there is swing on offer which will certainly test both Warner and Smith.

Glenn Maxwell Vs Mitchell Santner

Glenn Maxwell plays spin generally well. With his unorthodox shots like the switch hit and reverse sweeps and laps he throws the line and length of the best of the slower bowlers off. But in the last two T20's that Australia played against India, Maxwell got out to the past time left arm spin of Yuvraj Singh early in his innings. Mitch Santner is also a part time slow left arm spinner and it will be interesting to see if McCullum throws the ball to him just to play with the mind of Maxwell.

Brendon McCullum Vs Australian Opening Bowlers

Brendon McCullum will retire from international cricket at the end of this Australian tour and he will want to end it in a blaze. The last time that he batted against the Australian team at this ground he had smashed a 50 off just 24 balls to put New Zealand on course of a victory. The trio of Richardson, Hastings and Hazlewood will have their task cut out when they run in to bowl to the Kiwi captain. McCullum will not hold back and the impact that he can have on the psyche of the opposition by his attacking power play will have a huge say on how the match pans out.

Corey Anderson Vs James Faulkner

Both the all-rounders can change the passage of any cricket match with their all-round skills in a matter of a few overs. Both are hard hitting lower order batsmen who have bailed their respective teams out of deep waters by their brazen batting abilities. They are also very good bowlers who possess lots of variations which fool the opposition batsmen in to making mistakes against them. They might come up against each other twice in the match and it will be an exciting match-up within the match to watch two excellent all-rounders go head to head against each other.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.