NZ opt to bowl; Litchfield returns

Star batter Phoebe Litchfield will return from injury as Australia aims to wrap up the three-match T20I series against New Zealand in game two at North Sydney Oval.

Litchfield has recovered from a low-grade hip muscle strain that kept her out of Sunday's series-opener after she missed the final ODI against Bangladesh last Wednesday.

She has replaced Tahlia McGrath in Australia's only change from the side that scraped over the line with a two-wicket victory over a gallant New Zealand in game one on the same ground.

It was a particularly scratchy return to the format for Australia since winning the T20 World Cup.

New Zealand have named an unchanged line-up following their fighting performance with bat and ball in game one as they almost produced a big upset.

After the retirements of stalwarts Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu following the T20 World Cup, an inexperienced New Zealand side was largely written off ahead of this series.

But opener Georgia Plimmer starred with the bat while Jess Kerr claimed key wickets to give New Zealand confidence of producing a series-levelling victory in game two.

Australia: 1 Beth Mooney (wk), 2 Georgia Voll, 3 Phoebe Litchfield, 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Ash Gardner, 6 Georgia Wareham, 7 Annabel Sutherland, 8 Nicola Carey, 8 9 Sophie Molineux (c), 10 Kim Garth, 11 Lucy Hamilton

New Zealand: 1 Georgia Plimmer, 2 Flora Devonshire, 3 Melie Kerr (c), 4 Maddy Green, 5 Izzy Sharp, 6 Brooke Halliday, 7 Jess Kerr, 8 Polly Inglis (wk), 9 Rosemary Mair, 10 Nensi Patel, 11 Bree Illing