New Zealand opened their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a comfortable five-wicket win against Afghanistan, chasing down a target of 183 with 13 balls to spare at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. After early setbacks left them reeling at 14/2, following the quick dismissals of Finn Allen for a duck and Rachin Ravindra for one, Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips steadied the innings with a crucial 74-run partnership. Phillips struck a brisk 42 off 25 deliveries, while Seifert anchored the chase with a composed 65 from 42 balls.
Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell then ensured there were no further hiccups, adding valuable contributions of 28 and 25 runs respectively to guide the Mitchell Santner-led side home. The victory saw New Zealand surpass Sri Lanka’s record for the highest successful T20I chase against Afghanistan and also marked the Kiwis’ highest successful run chase in T20 World Cup history.
Afghanistan challenged us a lot throughout: Santner
After the game, captain Santner highlighted the challenge Afghanistan brought to the game. He noted that the surface was good enough and thus, it was possible for the team to keep up with the run-rate in a high-scoring game.
“We knew coming in that Afghanistan are a threat and they showed that today. We knew it was a massive game for us today. Started the tournament off in the right spot. It was a pretty good performance. Pretty good wicket, but Afghanistan challenged us a lot throughout this game and as we thought they would,” Santner said in the post-match presentation.
Notably, Seifert was eventually adjudged the Player of the Match for his batting contribution. Despite losing two wickets early, the opener dealt with the pressure and kept the scoreboard ticking.
“It's always nice to start the tournament with a few runs under your belt. But the main thing is we got the win. Tough conditions as well out there. Lost a couple of early wickets, so it's nice to get the job done,” Seifert said.
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