New Zealand opened their account in the T20 World Cup 2026 with a terrific win over Afghanistan in Chennai. Let's see how things panned out in the Group D clash.
Key Moments: New Zealand vs Afghanistan – T20 World Cup 2026
Afghanistan reached 182/8, powered by Gulbadin Naib’s 63 off 35 after early setbacks
Lockie Ferguson’s double strike in the Powerplay slowed Afghanistan’s momentum
Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck twice early, removing Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra in one over
Tim Seifert–Glenn Phillips partnership (74 runs) steadied New Zealand’s chase
Phillips fell for 42 (25), but the damage had been done
Tim Seifert’s fluent 65 swung the match decisively in New Zealand’s favour
Brief hope for Afghanistan after Mark Chapman’s dismissal, but it didn’t last
Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner calmly finished the chase
New Zealand sealed the win with 13 balls to spare, completing their highest T20 World Cup chase
The victory also avenged New Zealand’s 2024 T20 World Cup loss to Afghanistan
After opting to bat first, Afghanistan got off to a decent start, reaching 35 in 5.2 overs before Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were dismissed in the last over of the Powerplay by Lockie Ferguson. That is when Gulbadin Naib and Sediqullah Atal stitched a 79-run stand with the former being the aggressor. Atal fell for 29 while Naib carried on to score 63 in just 35 balls. Cameos from Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi propelled the score to 182 in their 20 overs. For the Kiwis, Lockie Ferguson finished with two wickets while Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy and Rachin Ravindra finished with one each.
In reply, New Zealand got off to a terrible start as Mujeeb Ur Rahman got rid of Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra off consecutive deliveries in the second over, pushing the Kiwis on the back foot. Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips joined hands and held the innings together. In the 74-run partnership, Phillips was the aggressor while Seifert kept his cool. Phillips was dismissed for 42 off just 25 balls by Rashid Khan. Tim Seifert then stepped on the accelerator and it looked like he would take his side home single-handedly but was sent back for 65. He had done the damage though. Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell continued the good work and got their required run rate to below 7. Chapman was dismissed for 28 and Afghanistan sensed a little hope. Santner and Mitchell crushed it as they reached the target with 13 balls to spare and also recorded their highest chase in T20 World Cups.
Mujeeb was the pick of the bowlers as he picked up 2 wickets and Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai picked up one but it was not enough for the Afghan side. New Zealand will be happy to get this win as in 2024, it was Afghanistan who had defeated them by a huge margin of 84 runs in Guyana.
