NewKerala.com

New Zealand Crush UAE by 10 Wickets in T20 World Cup Power Display

New Zealand delivered a commanding performance, thrashing the UAE by 10 wickets in their T20 World Cup group match in Chennai. Openers Tim Seifert (89*) and Finn Allen (84*) chased down the target of 174 in just 15.2 overs with an unbroken 175-run partnership, a T20 World Cup record. Earlier, UAE captain Muhammad Waseem's unbeaten 66 and Alishan Sharafu's 55 helped their team post a competitive 173/6. The Blackcaps remain unbeaten in the tournament and will next face South Africa.

Key Points: NZ Thrash UAE by 10 Wickets in T20 World Cup 2026

  • Record 175-run opening stand
  • Seifert 89*, Allen 84* in chase
  • UAE posted 173/6 batting first
  • NZ unbeaten with two wins
  • Waseem top-scored with 66*
3 min read

T20 World Cup: New Zealand thrash UAE by 10 wickets in Chennai

Tim Seifert & Finn Allen's record chase leads New Zealand to a dominant 10-wicket win over UAE in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in Chennai.

"They hit fifth gear in the second over, and kept up the tempo almost all through. - Match Report"

Chennai, February 10

New Zealand dominated the United Arab Emirates in match 11 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

The Mitchell Santner-led side thumped the UAE by 10 wickets after successfully chasing a challenging target of 174 runs with 28 balls to spare. Tim Seifert (89 not out off 42 balls) and Finn Allen (84 not out off 50 balls) remained unbeaten and took the Blackcaps past the target in just 15.2 overs. They are unbeaten in this World Cup with two wins in as many matches.

While chasing the target, Allen hit five fours and as many sixes, whereas Seifert hit 12 fours and three sixes. The duo added 175 runs for the first wicket, which is also the highest partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cups.

Unbeaten in Chennai in any format since 2011, New Zealand flexed their muscle in the chase. They hit fifth gear in the second over, and kept up the tempo almost all through. With Seifert and Allen in punishing mood, New Zealand put on 78/0 in the first six overs, including 20 in the sixth over. It was just the start the Kiwis needed to thwart any hopes of an upset for the UAE.

Earlier, the UAE captain Muhammad Waseem won the toss and elected to bat first. Playing their first match of the World Cup, the UAE put up a spirited show with the bat, finishing at 173/6.

Despite losing Aryansh Sharma early, UAE motored to 50/1 in powerplay as captain Waseem and Alishan Sharafu relieved the pressure with some big hits.

They put on 107, which is the second-highest second-wicket partnership for the UAE in T20Is. The Kerala-born Sharafu scored 55 off just 47 balls, with the help of five fours and two sixes.

New Zealand pegged them back with two quick wickets. Captain Mitchell Santner dismissed Sharafu while Glenn Phillips sent back Harshit Kaushik within the space of 10 balls and five runs, reducing UAE to 124/3.

Despite the setback, Waseem continued to plunder runs. The UAE captain carried the bat through for an unbeaten 66 off 45 balls, slamming four fours and three sixes during the innings. Mayank Kumar also chipped in with a cameo of 21.

Matt Henry snapped two wickets off the last two balls of the innings, while Jacob Duffy, Santner, Lockie Ferguson and Phillips claimed a wicket apiece.

Now, New Zealand will take on South Africa in their next Group D fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 14. The UAE, on the other hand, will clash with Canada at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on February 13.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
While NZ was fantastic, credit to UAE for putting up a fight with the bat. 173 is a decent total. Waseem played a captain's knock and Sharafu (from Kerala!) did well too. They just came up against a top team in devastating form. Hope they bounce back against Canada.
R
Rohit P
Chepauk is becoming a fortress for New Zealand! Unbeaten there since 2011 in any format is a crazy stat. The pitch was good for batting, but the way they accelerated from the second over itself was clinical. Our Indian bowlers need to be wary if we face them there.
S
Sarah B
As a neutral fan, that was just breathtaking cricket to watch. The opening partnership record is broken! Finn Allen is so destructive. Makes the game so exciting. Looking forward to NZ vs SA now, that should be a cracker.
V
Vikram M
A small critique for the UAE think-tank: maybe they should have bowled first after winning the toss? Putting up a score and then defending with a relatively inexperienced attack against such batters was always going to be tough. Still, a good learning experience for the associate nation.
K
Kavya N
Tim Seifert was on fire! 89* off 42 balls with 12 fours! That's pure domination. The Kiwis have started their campaign perfectly. Hope the stadiums in Ahmedabad and Delhi get similar exciting matches. The World Cup is heating up! 🔥

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50