New Zealand Vs Afghanistan Highlights, T20 World Cup: NZ Clinch Five-Wicket Win In Record Chase

Hello, we are back with another live blog, and it is Afghanistan vs New Zealand. Stay tuned for live updates.

The T20 World Cup 2026 clash between Afghanistan and New Zealand will be broadcast live in India on the Star Sports Network, with live streaming available on the JioHotstar app and website.

Afghanistan have won the toss and have opted to bat first.

New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Tim Seifert(w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy

Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan(c), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi

We’re underway in Chennai and the noise is up instantly. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran stride out to the middle for Afghanistan, with Gurbaz taking first strike.

New Zealand waste no time either, Matt Henry has the new ball in hand, steaming in from the pavilion end. Fresh pitch, white ball shining, and straight away it feels like one of those nights where every delivery matters.

Gurbaz turns on the flair straight away, shuffles across, gets inside the line and paddles it away with outrageous ease. Too full, too straight from Jacob Duffy and Gurbaz simply uses the pace, helping it on its way over long leg. It sails, clears the rope comfortably, and that’s a cheeky six to announce Afghanistan’s intent. The crowd loves it, and suddenly the energy’s up a notch.

Ferguson strikes with his very first ball. It’s short and wide, there to be hit, but Ibrahim Zadran goes too hard and doesn’t keep the cut down. The ball flies straight to Glenn Phillips, who barely has to move. Zadran looks stunned as he walks back, a scratchy 10 off 12 comes to an end, and New Zealand grab a timely wicket just as the PowerPlay closes.

Gulbadin Naib comes to the crease.

AFG 40/1 (5.4)

PowerPlay done and it’s been a bit of a stop-start start for Afghanistan at 44 for 2. The pitch hasn’t been easy and even Rahmanullah Gurbaz has had to dig in, struggling to find his timing early on.

New Zealand should have had him on 7 when Matt Henry forced a chance and three fielders somehow got in each other’s way, letting him off. Gurbaz made them pay briefly, taking Jacob Duffy on with a four and a six in his second over, while Ibrahim Zadran also rode his luck, surviving a close LBW shout against Henry.

But just when Afghanistan were hoping to settle, Lockie Ferguson blew the PowerPlay open, coming on and removing both openers in the same over to swing momentum firmly New Zealand’s way.

Atal wastes no time, shimmies down the track, gets right to the pitch and frees his arms. Santner drops it in and gets punished straight back over his head. One bounce and it races over the ropes, a confident strike that cuts through the quiet and gives Afghanistan a much-needed boundary.

Chepauk bites back. Jacob Duffy rolls his fingers into the pitch, takes the pace off, and Atal is completely undone by the slowness and extra bounce. He commits early, looks to pull, and only manages a top edge that balloons straight up.

Tom Seifert tracks back calmly and settles under it, simple catch, no fuss. A promising 79-run stand is snapped just like that, and Sediqullah Atal’s knock ends on 29 off 24. Momentum shifts again, and New Zealand tighten the screws.

Afghanistan post 182 for 6 and it sets up a cracking chase. This pitch hasn’t been flat, slower balls have gripped, there’s been bounce for the quicks, and stroke-making hasn’t been straightforward. New Zealand’s task now is all about handling Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman without bleeding wickets.

Tim Seifert and Finn Allen stride out to the middle to begin the chase. Seifert will take strike, while Fazalhaq Farooqi has the new ball in hand and is set to open the attack.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman turned the game on its head with a brutal double strike, first hurrying Finn Allen with one that skidded on to crash into middle, and then castling Rachin Ravindra next ball, the delivery shaping in and straightening to beat the defence. Two in two, and New Zealand were rocked in a flash.

Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips stitch together a steady response, picking up a boundary and rotating strike to keep things moving. Six off the over, New Zealand move to 31/2.

Glenn Phillips is starting to free the arms now, two crisp boundaries in the over, both struck with authority, while Tim Seifert continues to hustle between the wickets. New Zealand will take that every day of the week: eight off it, 52/2 and the partnership building nicely.

Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips continue to chip away, squeezing value out of almost every ball. A couple of twos, sharp running, plus the extras help the total along, nine from it, and New Zealand are nicely placed at 75/2 with the partnership humming.

Rashid Khan hits back in style, breaking a threatening stand just when it was beginning to hurt. Glenn Phillips tried to back away and muscle the inside-out drive, but lost his shape, got a faint under-edge and watched the ball crash into the base of off. A roar from the skipper, a timely strike for Afghanistan. Mark Chapman then gets busy with singles and a brace, while Tim Seifert keeps the strike rotating. Five from the over, New Zealand 92/3.

Mohammad Nabi is welcomed in brutal fashion but he has the last laugh. Tim Seifert launches two towering sixes and then drills a boundary to swing the momentum, bringing up a vital half-century and dragging the rate down. Just when it looks like New Zealand are breaking free, Seifert rocks back to pull again, doesn’t get the elevation and picks out Azmatullah Omarzai in the deep. Smart, pressure-soaking knock ends on 65. Daryl Mitchell arrives and immediately hustles a couple. Massive over though, 18 runs, NZ 126/4.

Azmatullah Omarzai provides a crucial breakthrough just when the partnership was settling. Mark Chapman backs away to go inside-out but miscues it straight to Rashid Khan at cover. Chapman had played a handy hand, yet Afghanistan finally get the moment they wanted. Mitchell Santner arrives and has a couple of nervy swings outside off to finish the over. Just four from it, New Zealand 155/5, needing 28 off 24.

Mitchell Santner is turning it on at the death! Clever twos early in the over, and then he really lets loose, a crunching boundary followed by a towering six. Daryl Mitchell keeps his calm at the other end, happy to rotate and give Santner the strike. Fifteen from the over and New Zealand surge to 170/5, the finish line suddenly in sight.

Azmatullah Omarzai misses the yorker and serves a full toss, and Daryl Mitchell calmly whips it away to long-on. That single seals a commanding five-wicket victory. New Zealand complete their highest successful chase in T20 World Cups, hunting down 183 after early jolts, with the platform laid by Tim Seifert’s counterpunch in the powerplay.

"Yeah, personally, it's always nice to start the tournament with a few runs under your belt. But the main thing is we got the win. Tough conditions as well out there. Lost a couple of early wickets, so it's nice to get the job done. (on the conditions in the powerplay) Yeah, for us, myself and Finn, we always looked to try and put pressure on the bowlers and we thought pace was going to be easier than spin. And then we just adapted throughout the innings there. And then I thought sometimes the spin actually came a little bit easier than the seam. So it went my way, it's all about the momentum and who you're going to target throughout the innings. (something specific you are working on?) Oh, yeah, there's always something you're working on, but I think it's just the experience of playing around the world and in some of these franchise leagues and playing with the best players in the world and, you know, adapting to every condition basically out there and also just backing yourself how you want to go about your game."

The previous highest target successfully chased against Afghanistan in a T20 World Cup match was 154 by Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens in 2016.

This is also the highest target that New Zealand has successfully chased in a T20 WC match. The previous highest was 167 against England at Abu Dhabi in 2021.