Chennai: Tim Seifert’s magnificent half-century helped New Zealand beat Afghanistan by five wickets in the fourth match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
Chasing a tough target of 183, the Blackcaps struck with 5 wickets and 13 balls to spare when Seifert and Glenn Phillips combined for the third wicket.
Mujeeb ur Rahman dismissed Finn Allen (one) and Rachin Ravindran (nil) off successive balls in the second over to give New Zealand a different start.
With the scoreboard reading 14/2 in 1.4 overs, Phillips joined Seifert in the middle and the duo put on 74 runs for the third wicket at a blistering pace to mount an emphatic recovery.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan finally broke the menacing partnership by dismissing Phillips for 42 off 25 balls in the 10th over with 7 fours and a six.
Seifert put on a 36-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Mark Chapman and eventually scored 65 off 42 balls, including 10 fours and three sixes.
New Zealand suffered another setback in the 16th over, still needing 28 runs, when Chapman scored 28 off 17 balls with two fours and a six.
But Daryl Mitchell and skipper Mitchell Santner ensured there were no further hurdles in New Zealand’s chase, guiding them to an unbeaten 33-run partnership off 13 balls.
Mitchell scored an unbeaten 25 off 14 balls while Santner remained unbeaten on 17 off 8 balls.
For Afghanistan, Mujeeb took 2 wickets and Asmatullah Umarzai, Rashid and Mohammad Nabi took one each.
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan’s decision to bat first saw the Asian team score 182 for 6 in 20 overs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Sadran added 35 runs in the first five overs as Lockie Ferguson forced the dismissal of both New Zealand openers.
Sadran scored a cautious 10 off 12 balls while Gurbaz scored 27 off 22 balls with 2 fours and a six.
Following the fumble, Naib and Sethigullah Atal (29) put on a stunning 79-run partnership for the third wicket.
Later, Naib was involved in a brief stand-off with Darvish Rasooli as he made 33 for the fourth wicket until the death of Rachin Ravindra in the 18th over. He scored 63 off 35 balls with 4 fours and 3 sixes.
Rasooli followed suit with the first ball of the next over as he was dismissed by veteran New Zealand fast bowler Matt Henry for 20 off 13 balls, with a six and a four.
All-rounders Mohammad Nabi (10 not out) and Asmatullah Umarzai (14) then delayed Afghanistan’s scoring with an 18-run partnership that came from 11 balls.
Ferguson was the best bowler for New Zealand, taking 2 for 40 in his four overs, while Jacob Duffy, Henry and Ravindran bowled with a scalp each.