Australia v New Zealand World Twenty20 preview

Steve Smith is confident Australia can bring New Zealand back down to earth when the trans-Tasman rivals do battle in the World Twenty20 on Friday.

New Zealand pulled off an emphatic 47-run defeat of hosts and tournament favourites India in the first game of the Super 10 stage on Tuesday.

The Black Caps will be on the brink of reaching the semi-final stage for the first time since the inaugural World T20 in 2007??if they can follow that up by beating Australia in a Group 2 contest which is expected to be affected by rain in??Dharamsala.

Australia, who have never won the World T20,??beat New Zealand in the World Cup final on home soil last year and captain Smith is optimistic his side can see them off again in their first game of the tournament.

He said: "In big games we probably have got a bit of wood over them, but for us it's a new game, a new tournament.

"It's about executing our skills and hopefully we come out on the right end of it."

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SMITH PLANNING FOR RAIN

There is the prospect of a shortened game with a forecast of rain, but Smith insists??Australia will be ready to adapt their strategy. He said:??"You have to have something in mind. I don't think a lot of the game??plans and the way each individual plays changes too much. But I think you have to have a few different game??plans if the game is a little bit shorter."

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SPIN IT TO WIN IT?

New Zealand beat India at their own game in Nagpur, where spinners Mitchell??Santner, Nathan McCullum and Ish Sodhi came to the fore. Smith expects the Black Caps to go with three spinners again and said Australia may follow suit with Adam Zampa and??Ashton Agar their key options on that front, while Glenn Maxwell, the captain himself and Aaron Finch are??among their other choices.

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CAPTAINS COULD HOLD THE KEY

Smith and Kane Williamson have established themselves as two of the best batsmen in world cricket across all formats. Williamson missed out against India, but it would be no surprise to see him rise to the occasion if the weather holds and Smith??has proved he is??capable of playing match-winning knocks time and time again.

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OPTA STATS

- This will be the sixth T20 encounter between these sides, with Australia winning four and the last meeting between the two in the shortest format was tied,??with New Zealand winning after a??Super Over.

- Australia batsman David Warner has notched up 12 scores of over 50??in his T20 international??career; only four players from any nation have recorded more.

- Mitchell Santner's bowling figures of 4-11 against India in the opening match of the Super 10 stage were the second??best ever recorded by a New Zealand player in a World T20 match and the best by a Black Caps??spinner in the competition.