New Zealand defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in Chennai on Sunday, with opener Tim Seifert scoring a scorching 65 off 42 balls to lead the team in their highest-ever score in a T20 World Cup.
Seifert’s 42-ball knock and Glenn Phillips’ 42 helped New Zealand reach their mark with 13 balls remaining in Chennai after Afghanistan reached 182-6. New Zealand’s 167 against England in the 2021 semi-final was their previous highest chase in the T20 World Cup.
In the second over of the chase, Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman hit consecutive balls to dismiss Rachin Ravindra for a duck and Finn Allen for one, putting New Zealand in early difficulty. Phillips denied the hat-trick and then went on to resist Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack with wicketkeeper Seifert in a partnership of 74 for the third wicket.
Phillips inside edged onto his stumps, and captain Rashid Khan roared as he crashed through to dismiss him. The batsman scored his fifty with a six off experienced spinner Mohammad Nabi after leg-spinner Rashid dropped Seifert on 48 off his own bowling.
Before the bowler got his retribution on the following ball when he top-edged to be caught in the deep, Seifert hit Nabi for another six and a four in quick succession. Daryl Mitchell, on 25, and captain Mitchell Santner, on 17, led New Zealand to 183-5 and a resounding victory when Mark Chapman fell after a 17-ball 28.
Afghanistan opted to bat after winning the toss, and Gulbadin Naib, who came in at number three, hit 63 off 35 balls after they had fallen to 44-2. When Rahmanullah Gurbaz skied a top edge behind the stumps, Matt Henry almost grabbed him, but the chance went begging as keeper Seifert and Allen collided as they both rushed back.
Gurbaz was bowled for 27 off an inside edge after pace bowler Lockie Ferguson hit two balls in his opening over to dismiss Ibrahim Zadran for 10. Together, Naib and Sediqullah Atal, a left-hander who scored 29, rebuilt the innings with a third-wicket partnership of 79 runs. Naib left after trying to slog left-arm spinner Ravindra for his fourth T20 fifty off 29 balls.
