T20 World Cup 2026: Batting depth powers New Zealand to win over Afghanistan

New Zealand got off to a rollicking start in the ongoing Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, defeating Afghanistan by five wickets at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.

Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips starred for the Kiwis as they secured their first two points in Group D – the group of death.

HIGHLIGHTS | New Zealand vs Afghanistan T20 World Cup 2026

Chasing a daunting 183 on a pitch that offered pace and bounce with a slower-than-usual outfield, Seifert stepped on the gas right from the get-go. He smashed three fours in the first over and started on the front foot.

As a consequence, Afghanistan’s PowerPlay talisman, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, was brought into the attack. Historically, the Kiwis’ top order has performed well against spin. Their top three – Finn Allen, Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra – had strike rates upwards of 160 against such bowlers.

However, Mujeeb did what he does best: pick crucial wickets in the PowerPlay. He dismissed both Allen and Ravindra off consecutive deliveries to simmer the burst of momentum gained by the opposition.

After 12 from the first over, New Zealand suddenly looked startled, reeling at 14 for two.

Despite the setback, Seifert and Phillips – the best New Zealand batter from the recently concluded India T20I series – forged an all-important partnership to drive their team out of the woods.

The duo scored 74 off 47 deliveries to ease the pressure as New Zealand reached 100 in the 11th over. Seifert reached his first T20 World Cup half-century in 39 deliveries with a huge six over deep midwicket off Mohammad Nabi.

Before walking back to the pavilion, Seifert ensured the total was within reach, smoking two sixes and a four off consecutive deliveries against Nabi.

Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman and skipper Mitchell Santner saw off the chase with ease in front of 21,000-plus spectators.

Earlier, the coin flip favoured Afghanistan once again. It has won the toss in five of its last seven games. In four of these five toss wins, it opted to bat first and ended up on the right side of the result.

It stuck to the same script against New Zealand, trusting its batting depth and the platform usually provided by Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

The openers, however, were forced into uncomfortable zones early on.

Zadran has long been susceptible to hard lengths. Against back-of-a-length and short deliveries, his strike rate plummets to 79, while his dot-ball percentage climbs past 54. The Kiwis attacked that weakness from the outset. They got their first reward in the sixth over when Gurbaz, hurried by pace and bounce, slapped a short ball straight to Glenn Phillips at point off Lockie Ferguson.

If Gurbaz’s problem was the short ball, Zadran’s Achilles’ heel was the moving ball, on or just outside off stump. Ferguson found the seam corridor perfectly and knocked him over. Afghanistan was 44 for two inside the PowerPlay, its most trusted plan punctured early.

Yet the innings never truly stalled. Gulbadin Naib and Sediqullah Attal rebuilt smartly through low-risk singles before Naib shifted gears, turning the third-wicket stand into a momentum-maker. Their 79 off 51 balls dragged Afghanistan past 100 in the 13th over, before Naib fell trying to go across the line against Santner.

Afghanistan eventually reached 182 for six, aided by Darwish Rasooli (20) and Azmatullah Omarzai (14). Still, New Zealand’s bowling management raised questions: Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Ferguson and James Neesham all had an over each at the death, but Duffy did not finish his spell. Rachin Ravindra was handed the 18th over, which went for 14 runs, and, in a tight tactical contest, could have costed the Kiwis.

Published on Feb 08, 2026