Chennai, Feb 8 (IANS) New Zealand pulled off a five-wicket win, chasing down 183 with 15 balls to spare, thanks to a composed yet aggressive batting effort anchored by Tim Seifert, and got their T20 World Cup campaign off to a flyer here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. The Kiwis avenged their loss to the Afghans from the previous edition of the tournament and bagged the first two points in the first game of Group D.
The chase began shakily as Afghanistan’s spinners struck early. Finn Allen fell for 1, and Rachin Ravindra was dismissed for a duck in quick succession, both removed by Mujeeb Ur Rahman, leaving New Zealand 14/2 inside two overs. Afghanistan sensed an opening, but Seifert ensured the innings did not derail.
Seifert counterattacked with authority, mixing clean hitting with smart placement. His 65 off 42 balls, featuring seven fours and three sixes, wrested momentum back from Afghanistan and steadied the chase. He found an ideal partner in Glenn Phillips, who played a blistering hand of 42 off 25 balls, striking at 168 and targeting Rashid Khan whenever he erred in length. Their 74-run stand pushed New Zealand firmly ahead of the required rate.
Afghanistan briefly clawed back when Rashid Khan removed Phillips and later accounted for Mark Chapman (28 off 17), who had chipped in with a lively cameo. Seifert’s dismissal at 124/4 in the 13th over kept the contest alive, but by then New Zealand needed less than eight an over.
The finishing was clinical. Daryl Mitchell (25* off 14) and skipper Mitchell Santner (17* off 8) ensured there were no further hiccups, accelerating decisively in the final overs to seal victory at 183/5 in 17.5 overs, with Santner striking at over 200.
For Afghanistan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (2/31) was the standout with the ball, while Rashid Khan (1/36) picked up key wickets but proved expensive by his standards. The rest of the attack struggled to contain New Zealand’s counterpunch, particularly once the field spread.
Despite Afghanistan’s competitive 182/6, New Zealand’s depth and composure in the chase proved decisive, underlining their batting firepower and ability to absorb early pressure before striking back.
Earlier, Afghanistan put together a well-paced and confident batting display to reach 182/6, built around a decisive middle-overs surge led by Gulbadin Naib.
The innings had intent from the start, but was checked by early wickets. Ibrahim Zadran fell in the sixth over for a cautious start, caught by Phillips off Lockie Ferguson, and soon after Rahmanullah Gurbaz departed for a brisk 27 off 22, also to Ferguson, leaving Afghanistan 44/2 and in need of stability.
That came through Naib, who initially rebuilt before impressively shifting gears. His 63 off 35 balls formed the backbone of the innings, as he targeted New Zealand’s spinners through the middle overs, consistently finding the boundary and keeping the run rate high. Naib was well supported by Sediqullah Atal, whose 29 off 24 ensured momentum without unnecessary risk.
In the latter stages, Darwish Rasooli injected pace with a sharp 20 off 13, helping Afghanistan cross 160 by the 18th over. Even after Naib’s dismissal late in the innings, Afghanistan finished thanks to Omarzai’s 14 off 7 and Nabi’s unbeaten 10 off 7, pushing the total beyond the par score on a surface that rewarded positive strokeplay.
New Zealand’s bowling effort was mixed. Ferguson (2/40) struck early and often, while Matt Henry was disciplined with the new ball, but inconsistency through the middle overs allowed Afghanistan to maintain a scoring rate above nine an over.
New Zealand will next face the UAE in the 11th match of the tournament on Tuesday, while Afghanistan will face South Africa in the 13th game on Wednesday.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 182/6 in 20 overs (Gulbadin Naib 63, Sediqullah Atal 29; Lockie Ferguson 2-40, Matt Henry 1-27) lost to New Zealand 183/5 in 17.5 overs (Tim Seifert 65, Glenn Phillips 42, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-31, Rashid Khan 1-36) by five wickets.
–IANS
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