West Indies vs. New Zealand, 1st T20: Date, Time, TV Info and Preview

Now that their Test series is over, West Indies and New Zealand shift gears for two Twenty20 Internationals in Dominica.

The away side are coming off a 2-1 victory in the longest form and will be hopeful of further success in the T20s.

Venue: Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Date: Saturday, July 5

Start time: 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. EST

Live on: Sky Sports (New Zealand, UK), Sports Max (Caribbean), Fox Sports (Australia), PTV (Pakistan), New Prime (India), CBN and Cricket Plus (Canada), SuperSport 2 (South Africa), Willow TV (USA), OSN Network (UAE)

Weather: According to Weather.com, Dominica will have some early showers that are expected to clear, with temperatures peaking at 28 degrees Celsius.

Overview

The West Indies have chosen to rest Chris Gayle for this two-match series, while Dwayne Bravo remains out with injury.

Christopher Barnwell and Darren Bravo are the new names in the squad, while Kieron Pollard returns to the international fold for the first time since last year.

There are plenty of explosive hitters in the home side’s 13-man squad, while Sunil Narine is also back, having missed the Tests after staying on to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final.

Meanwhile, New Zealand have selected the same 15 players they chose for the Tests, although they will likely experiment with the batting order.

Tim Southee and Trent Boult are now both in the top 10 of the ICC Test bowling rankings after Boult moved up to No. 9 to join Southee at No. 6.

Having won a series in the Caribbean for just the second time, the Black Caps will be hopeful of further success in the game’s shortest form.

Team News

West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Samuel Badree, Christopher Barnwell, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (c), Peter Fulton, Hamish Rutherford, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Luke Ronchi, Jimmy Neesham, Mark Craig, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi.

Key Players

Kieron Pollard

With Chris Gayle rested, it falls to Kieron Pollard to lead the way with his aggressive batting as he returns to the international arena for the first time since July 2013.

One of the hottest properties in T20 cricket, Pollard will be keen to prove that he is still capable of making an impact on the biggest stage of all.

Jimmy Neesham

After a superb run of form in the Test series, Jimmy Neesham looks set to open for New Zealand in these two T20s.

Having been the third-highest run scorer in the series, he is in good touch and will be hopeful of asserting himself on the game’s shortest form.

Team news and player information courtesy of ESPN Cricinfo unless otherwise noted.