After losing their last T20I series to England, the hosts, New Zealand, will be desperate to bounce back and start the fresh T20I series on a positive note when they face the West Indies in the first match of the five-match T20I series on Wednesday in Auckland. New Zealand The Mitchell Santner-led New Zealand will look to start fresh when they head into this series, having a white-ball series-winning momentum on their back already. The Kiwis will be heading into this series after losing their previous series to Australia and England. In the three-match T20I series against England, they had lost only one match, and two matches were abandoned due to rain. New Zealand will be without their former skipper Kane Williamson this time as the veteran has announced his retirement from the shorter format. Ish Sodhi will return for this series after missing the last series against England. West Indies Amid the struggles, the Shai Hope-led West Indies might have felt the relief after their recent T20I series victory over Bangladesh. They whitewashed Bangla Tigers, sealing the series 3-0, and they are now on a four-match winning streak. The West Indies are set to get a boost as Matthew Forde is set to return to the side after recovering from an injury, while Gudakesh Motie has been dropped from this tour due to a poor performance in recent times. Ramon Simmons and Jediah Blades are out of this tour due to injury, while Shamar Springer has been added to the squad to increase the pace depth. NZ vs WI 1st T20I Match Details NZ vs WI T20I Match Details Match New Zealand vs West Indies 1st T20I Match Date and Time Wednesday, November 5; 11:45 a.m. IST Venue Eden Park, Auckland Broadcasting and live streaming TV - NA; Live Stream - FanCode (app and website) NZ vs WI 1st T20I Pitch Report The surface at the Eden Park pitch offers a complete batting track for the batters. It’s flat with good bounce and carry, favouring aggressive stroke makers, especially in the first innings. Pacers are likely to get good assistance from the surface in the initial overs. But as the game progresses, the surface tends to flatten out, and batters will get enough time to play their desired shots. Spinners may come into play later in the match. The average first innings is 171 at Eden Park, which gets reduced to just 154 in the second innings. NZ vs WI 1st T20I Weather Report The weather is expected to remain cold and cloudy throughout the entire match, with 16% chances of precipitation. The temperature is likely to be around 16-11°C. The wind speed may assist bowlers in swinging the new ball. NZ vs WI Head-to-Head Records NZ vs WI head-to-head (in T20Is) Match Played 20 Won by New Zealand 10 Won by West Indies 5 Tied 3 No Result 2 NZ vs WI 1st T20I Probable XI New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (c), Zak Foulkes, Nathan Smith/Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy West Indies: Brandon King, Alick Athanaze, Ackeem Auguste, Shai Hope (c/wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales Players To Watch Out For In NZ vs WI 1st T20I Match Tim Seifert | NZ: The 30-year-old right-hand batter is one of the best attacking players in this format for the New Zealand team. He takes no time in batting assault, taking down every bowler in the power play for the maximum runs. He has featured in 77 matches in this format and has scored 1850 runs, including 12 half-centuries. He is one player to watch out for. Shai Hope | WI: The West Indies skipper has been one of the few batters who have been consistently piling up some good runs lately for his team. He had a stellar outing in the recently concluded T20I series against Bangladesh. He scored 101 runs in just two matches at an average of 101, including one half-century. He is one player from the West Indies to watch out for in this clash. NZ vs WI 1st T20I Toss Prediction Historical Toss-Winning Stats at the Venue In the last three T20I matches played at this venue, the teams that won the toss have opted to bowl twice and bat once. Advantages of Batting First on This Pitch The team batting first at this venue has won 13 out of the total 30 matches played here, while the teams batting second have won 12 games. This trend suggests that teams should prefer to bat first and focus on posting a challenging total in the first innings. NZ vs WI T20I Today's Match Scenario Scenario 1 Toss Winner: New Zealand (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 40-55 WI Total: 155-165 Match Winner: New Zealand Scenario 2 Toss Winner: West Indies (opts to bowl first) Power-Play Score: 45-55 NZ Total: 175-185 Match Winner: New Zealand Who will win today's NZ vs WI T20I match? The West Indies have been playing dominant cricket in the T20Is recently, whereas the Kiwis are struggling to find the right balance. Considering the recent form and squad depth, Shai Hope-led West Indies holds an edge over the hosts in this match and is likely to win the first match. The West Indies have faced New Zealand two times at the Eden Park and have been victorious in both matches so far--a streak they will aim to keep alive going forward.