Image source, Getty

Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy are striding out to the middle on a slightly cloudy evening in Sharjah as the sun sets and the floodlights beam down.

Rosemary Mair will the open bowling for New Zealand.

Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Alyssa Healy (captain and wicketkeeper), Georgia Wareham, Ellyse Perry, Ashleigh Gardner, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, Sophie Molineux, Megan Schutt, Grace Harris

New Zealand XI: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (captain), Brooke Halliday, Maddy Green, Isabella Gaze (wicketkeeper), Rosemary Mair, Lea Tahuhu, Eden Carson, Fran Jonas

Image source, Getty Images

New Zealand skipper Sophie Devine: "We would have a bat as well. Everyone knows surface here gets a little tired but we are happy to have the opportunity to bowl first and restrict Australia as much as possible. Spin is going to be a big part, I think.

"Winning always helps. We have been doing the right things for a long period of time but haven't had the results to back it up. To go out there and put it together on a massive stage was important for us. But it's one game out of four. So this is one is equally important for us. We want to do the dirty on the Australians here.

"World Cups everyone starts from scratch again don't they?. We will have taken the learnings from playing in Australia and to be able to come and apply it, but the conditions here are different. We will be looking forward to taking this opportunity."

Australia captain Alyssa Healy: "We're going to have a bat tonight. I think the tournament has shown it's been hard to chase. Hopefully we can get a score on the board and our bowlers can do the job.

"We've been keeping our eyes on some of the games [at Sharjah]. There's a bit more grass on this wicket, hopefully we can take advantage of that

"One change, Grace Harris in for Darcie Brown. An impact player for an impact player."

We had the toss moments ago.

Australia skipper Alyssa Healy gave the coin a toss a few moments ago and New Zealand counterpart Sophie Devine called heads.

It came down a tail and Healy decides to bat first.

Image source, Getty Images

Day six of the Women's T20 World Cup and we have an intriguing Antipodean derby for you.

Both Australia and New Zealand began their Group A campaigns with impressive victories over India and Sri Lanka respectively.

On paper, Australia should have too much for the Kiwis, but cricket is played on grass not paper.

We will have every crucial boundary, wicket and catch as these two familiar rivals, separated by the Tasman Sea, go head to head in Sharjah over the next few hours.

We look forward to your company.