Opener Tim Seifert produced a commanding knock to guide New Zealand to their highest successful run chase in T20 World Cup history, as the Black Caps defeated Afghanistan by five wickets on Sunday.
Chasing 183 for victory after Afghanistan posted 182 for six, New Zealand reached the target with 13 balls to spare in Chennai, driven by Seifert’s 65 off 42 deliveries and a fluent 42 from Glenn Phillips.
The chase surpassed New Zealand’s previous best T20 World Cup pursuit of 167, achieved against England in the 2021 semi-final.
Afghanistan struck early through spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who removed Finn Allen for one and Rachin Ravindra for a duck on successive deliveries in the second over. Glenn Phillips narrowly avoided a hat-trick and then combined with Seifert in a vital 74-run partnership for the third wicket to steady the innings against Afghanistan’s spin attack.
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Captain Rashid Khan broke the stand by dismissing Phillips, who played an inside edge onto his stumps. Rashid later dropped Seifert on 48 off his own bowling, allowing the opener to reach his half-century with a six off Mohammad Nabi.
Seifert continued the assault with another six and a four off Nabi before the veteran spinner claimed his wicket when Seifert top-edged a catch to the deep. Mark Chapman added a brisk 28 off 17 balls before falling, but Daryl Mitchell (25 not out) and captain Mitchell Santner (17 not out) calmly steered New Zealand to 183 for five and a comfortable win.
Earlier, Afghanistan opted to bat first after winning the toss, but slipped to 44 for two before Gulbadin Naib led the recovery with a fluent 63 off 35 balls from number three.
Lockie Ferguson struck twice in his opening over to dismiss Ibrahim Zadran for 10 and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 27, while a missed chance behind the stumps earlier had briefly kept Afghanistan’s momentum alive.
Naib and Sediqullah Atal (29) rebuilt the innings with a 79-run partnership for the third wicket. Naib brought up his fourth T20 half-century off 29 balls before falling to left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra as Afghanistan finished on 182 for six.
