Afghanistan lose to New Zealand in T20 World Cup opener

Afghanistan lose to New Zealand in T20 World Cup openerTim Seifert and Glenn ‍Phillips rally in the middle order to help New Zealand overcome Afghanistan in Chennai, India.Published On 8 Feb 2026New Zealand pulled ‌off a steep chase against Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack to begin their ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup campaign with a five-wicket victory in a Group D match in the south Indian city of Chennai on Sunday.In the 2024 edition of the tournament, it was a loss to Afghanistan that put New Zealand on the path to an early exit, but Mitchell Santner and his team did not ⁠let history repeat itself.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2India now sets the terms of global cricketlist 2 of 2Suryakumar rescues India as United States threaten T20 World Cup upsetend of listGulbadin Naib’s rapid 63 provided the bedrock of Afghanistan’s strong 182-6 following skipper Rashid Khan’s decision to bat first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.Tim Seifert (65) and Glenn Phillips (42) helped New Zealand overcome a top-order wobble and chase down the target with 13 balls to spare.“It’s always nice to start the tournament with a few runs, but the main thing is we got the win,” player of the ⁠match Seifert said.“There were a couple of early wickets, so it’s nice to get the job done.”Earlier, Afghanistan began briskly, but Lockie Ferguson’s double strike in the final powerplay over reduced them to 44-2.Number three batter Naib took his time to find his feet before racing to a 29-ball fifty as he and Sediqullah Atal (29) rebuilt the Afghan innings.Afghanistan then milked 110 runs in the final 10 overs of the innings, giving their spin-heavy attack a strong total to defend on a surface that ‌aided their craft.All-rounder Gulbadin Naib top-scored for Afghanistan with 63 from just 35 deliveries [R Satish Babu/AFP]When New Zealand began their chase, wily off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman was pressed into service in the second over, immediately dismissing opener Finn Allen and next man in Rachin Ravindra – both bowled – in successive deliveries to stun ‌the Kiwis.