When New Zealand and Australia clash in the Twenty20 tri-series at Eden Park later tonight, the Black Caps will have something on their side that their opponents are severely lacking - the hostile Auckland crowd.
With tonight's match expected to be a sell out, Australian batsman Aaron Finch spoke about the effect that the crowd has on the match, acting as a 12th man at times when the Black Caps are in the ascendancy.
"Once New Zealand get on top in a game, they become such a huge factor," he said yesterday.
"We saw in that World Cup game here (2015) when New Zealand beat us, the crowd was just unbelievable."
"They get stuck into you, which is pretty good banter at times - a lot of non-imaginative stuff at times, but it is a great place to play."
Finch also noted Australia's woes at Eden Park, having not picked up a win at the ground since 2010.
"We haven't won here for a while."
"I was going to say it's always nice if you do win here - but that's something we want to change."
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