Australia the upper hand against New Zealand

Birmingham: In England, these two sides have played against each other thrice, with both teams winning a match each and one being abandoned.

The 2015 World Cup-finalists get set for another chapter in the trans-Tasman rivalry but this time it will be in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 with both sides looking to get their Group A campaign off to the perfect start.

Head-2-Head in ODIs:
Australia has had the upper hand in their head-to-head, winning 87 of the 130 matches played against New Zealand, with six matches ending without a result. In England, these two sides have played against each other thrice, with both teams winning a match each and one being abandoned. In Champions Trophy Australia won three out of four, one was washes out at same ground in last event

Previous Champions Trophy encounters:

1. Edgbaston, Birmingham, June 12, 2013
   Match washed out
2. SuperSport Park, Centurion, October 5, 2009
   Australia won by six wickets
3. PCA Stadium, Mohali, November 1, 2006
   Australia won by 34 runs
4. Kennington Oval, London, September 16, 2004
   Australia won by seven wickets

Key players for each side:

Australia: With a pool of world-class fast bowlers to counter, Steven Smith will have a tough job in hand as a No. 3 batsman for Australia. But, with his innovative shots and zest for scoring runs, Australia couldn't be in safer hands. Smith has had an amazing run as a batsman over the past couple of years. He has been constantly compared to his contemporaries (Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Joe Root and Kane Williamson), and has consistently shown that he deserves to be on that list of best batsmen in the world. If he sticks in for a long period, he could eat into New Zealand's bowling and take the game away.

New Zealand: After taking over captaincy from Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson will have to balance himself in the side as an ideal captain and a composed batsman. His calm nature, and ability to play textbook cricket shots will definitely help counter Australia's quicks. He has often bailed New Zealand out of tough situations with gritty knocks. On any given day, Williamson is a threat against even the best of teams. Australia will have to watch out for his unassailable temperament and skill, both as a captain and a batsman.

Teams from

Australia: Steven Smith (Capt.), David Warner, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk) and Adam Zampa

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (Capt.), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Tom Latham (wk), Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Jeetan Patel, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi (wk)

Stats and trivia:

• New Zealand has never won a Champions Trophy game against Australia.
• Four of New Zealand's ten lowest ODI totals have come against Australia.
• Australia's lowest ever total in an ODI, 70, came against New Zealand in 1986 at Adelaide.

Best at Champions Trophy:
New Zealand Winners 2000
Australia Winners 2006 and 2009

Match facts
Friday June 2, 2017
Start time: 10:30 local | 09:30 GMT