Picking a combined West Indies-New Zealand playing 11 for T20 World Cup 2024 ft. Andre Russell & Trent Boult

Co-hosts West Indies will square off against New Zealand in the 26th match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Wednesday, June 12 (June 13 in India). The Caribbeans are second in the standings with four points from two matches after Afghanistan, while the Kiwis are languishing at the bottom of the standings.

Both teams will search for a win here to move up in the points table. A victory here would take the West Indies one step closer to the Super Eight stage, while the two points will help the Blackcaps open their account.

The two teams have met each other 19 times in the shortest format of the game. West Indies have won four times, while New Zealand have emerged victorious 10 times. Three games ended in a tie, while two games yielded no-results.

A cracking contest beckons fans in Trinidad. Ahead of the game, let's take a look at the combined playing XI of West Indies and New Zealand.

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Openers - Johnson Charles, Devon Conway

After a disappointing start to the T20 World Cup campaign against Papua New Guinea (PNG), Johnson Charles burst into form against Uganda. He played a patient knock, scoring 44 off 42 balls, including four boundaries and two sixes. He provided a good platform for the West Indies to post 173/5, which was enough to seal a victory.

New Zealand opener Devon Conway had a horrid start to the campaign, scoring only eight runs against Afghanistan. The entire unit faltered as the Kiwis were bundled out for 75 while chasing 160.

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Middle order - Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Phillips, Roston Chase

Nicholas Pooran is arguably the West Indies' best batter at the moment. The southpaw had a good IPL 2024 campaign with the Lucknow Super Giants. He has looked in decent form on challenging wickets so far in the mega event. Pooran scored a run-a-ball 27 against PNG and followed it up with a quickfire 22 against Uganda.

Glenn Phillips was New Zealand's highest scorer with 18 runs in a match that saw them get knocked out for 75 runs. He will partner Pooran and Roston Chase in the middle order.

Chase played a clutch knock against PNG to bail the Caribbeans out from a tricky run-chase. He scored an unbeaten 42 off 27 balls at a strike rate of 155.55, including four boundaries and two sixes. He is also handy with his off-spin and can contain runs in the middle overs.

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All-rounders - Rovman Powell, Andre Russell

West Indies skipper Rovman Powell has played his part in the two games so far. He scored 15 off 14 deliveries on a tricky run-chase and backed it with an 18-ball 23 against Uganda. Although he hasn't bowled so far in the T20 World Cup, he can roll his arms over if needed.

Fresh from IPL 2024 victory with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Andre Russell has continued his stellar form for his national side as well. The Jamaican scored an unbeaten nine-ball 15 against PNG to help his side win before slamming a 17-ball 30 against Uganda. He has also picked up three wickets with the ball in the competition.

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Bowlers - Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Trent Boult, Matt Henry

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been one of the standout bowlers in the tournament. Despite bowling mostly in the powerplay, Akeal has conceded only 29 runs in seven overs and picked up six wickets, including a five-wicket haul against Uganda.

Right-arm pacer Alzarri Joseph has been touted as a generational talent in the Caribbean Islands. Although he has struggled for consistency, Joseph has looked in rhythm so far in the T20 World Cup. He has picked up four wickets from two matches.

The Kiwi new-ball pair of Trent Boult and Matt Henry will complete the playing XI. The left-arm-right-arm combination has complemented each other well as of yet, sharing four wickets between them against Afghanistan.