T20 titan Seifert’s ‘Bam Bam’ redemption

The setting: M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. The protagonist: Tim Seifert.

Two chases, two wins, and two Player-of-the-Match awards — the common thread in New Zealand’s victories over Afghanistan and the UAE in Chennai has been its daredevil wicketkeeper-opener’s ballistic brilliance.

True to his nickname ‘Bam Bam’, the 31-year-old muscled his way through the Afghan and Emirati bowlers in his first two outings of the ongoing T20 World Cup.

While his 42-ball 65 against Rashid Khan’s men came when his side was under the pump (following Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s double-wicket second over), his unbeaten 42-ball 89 against the Middle Eastern nation made a 174-run chase as straightforward and spotless as one could hope for: a 10-wicket victory with 28 balls to spare.

The icing on the cake was the 175-run unbroken opening partnership between him and his partner in crime, Finn Allen, which stands as the highest for any wicket in T20 World Cup history.

“No. I didn’t know that. I’m not much of a stats guy, but we’ll take it,” Seifert said after picking up his second PoM award in a row.

Impressive numbers

Seifert may not be interested in checking the record books, but he sure has racked up some impressive numbers.

Not only did he go past the 2,000-run mark in T20Is during the innings against Afghanistan, but he also became the fifth fastest among full member nations to breach the landmark (1,395 deliveries).

Tim Seifert has won back-to-back Player-of-the-Match awards in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
| Photo Credit:
B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM B

With 816 runs at an average of 51 (20 innings), Seifert is also among the top-five run-getters in T20Is since 2025, a list helmed by India’s Abhishek Sharma (1,041 runs in 27 innings).

The path to consistency has not been straightforward for the Kiwi batter. Since making his T20I debut in 2018, Seifert has had to reinvent his game according to the ever-changing team dynamics.

Seifert, who grew up watching and being in awe of Brendon McCullum, showed exactly what he was capable of when he finally got his chance to open after shuttling up and down the order in his first eight T20Is. His 43-ball 84 on February 6, 2019, not only set up the Black Caps’ 80-run win over India, but also made the world take notice of the brute force and cheekiness in his batting arsenal.

“Kind of funny when I got told that I’ll be opening the innings. I YouTubed Brendon McCullum and watched some of his innings,” Seifert said after claiming his first PoM trophy in T20Is.

“I’d be lying if I said Baz wasn’t one of my heroes growing up. Obviously you try to be yourself out there, but I definitely have looked at Baz throughout my childhood,” Seifert added in the press conference that followed.

The hiatus

The shortest format’s unforgiving nature didn’t spare Seifert either. A stacked New Zealand top-order, including Martin Guptill, Colin Munro and Kane Williamson meant that Seifert had to bide his time for a consistent run as an opener. This led to a dip in returns, culminating in a 2021 T20 World Cup where he felt more like a spectator than a central figure. He eventually lost his place in the set-up altogether.

After the third match against India in Eden Gardens on November 21, 2021, Seifert did not play a T20I until April 2, 2023. The long and arduous hiatus, though, did not deter his determination. He was virtually living out of a suitcase, hopping from one T20 league to the other and slowly refining his batsmanship to the required standards.

Software update

A glance at his T20I numbers before and after his comeback showed Seifert 2.0 came with a rather successful software update.

While his average hovered below 24 in his first 40 T20Is, the number jumped to just shy of 39 in his next 43 games. The runs scored for every six balls he faced, too, saw a drastic increase (7.78 to 9.39), underlining the fact that he did not trade explosiveness for consistency.

Even after becoming a mainstay in the Kiwi line-up, Seifert does not miss a chance to allude to his globetrotting adventures, where he learnt the invaluable art of judging a pitch.

Tim Seifert and Finn Allen form a deadly opening pair.
| Photo Credit:
B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

“Cricket is a game that you play on every wicket. No matter what tournament you’re playing in, no matter what ground you’re in, the wicket’s going to be different,” Seifert said in the mixed zone, after his whirlwind knock against Afghanistan on Sunday.

“And as a batter, you’ve got to adapt and decide pretty quickly how you’re going to play on that wicket. That’s one of the skill sets that I’ve taken from franchise cricket, which is just adapting to different conditions and also playing some world-class bowlers,” he said.

It also helped his cause that he was demoted down the order only six times in the 41 innings following his return. And Seifert is thankful for the opportunity, while remaining pragmatically open to shifting roles.

“Yeah, when I started my career, I batted down at middle-order as a ’keeper-batter. Then, over the last few years, I’ve been at the top consistently, which is great,” Seifert said after his first match-winning knock in the 2026 showpiece.

“I’ve still got the ability to play in the middle-order if any team needs. But, yeah, batting at the top allows me to just go out there and put pressure on the bowlers. And I think that’s the main thing in these tournaments, where you can get the team off to a good start in the PowerPlay,” he said.

Seifert=du Plessis

Working with the likes of McCullum, Ricky Ponting, Phil Simmons, and Kieron Pollard across various global leagues didn’t just rebuild his confidence, it gave him a world-class laboratory to fine-tune his mechanics. After a lot of trial and error, he landed on a rather unique, yet productive, batting stance. To a keen observer, it was evident that Seifert adopted a new stance that eerily mirrors South Africa veteran Faf du Plessis.

The new set-up — characterised by a high sledge-hammer bat-lift and an open shoulder — agrees well with Seifert’s muscular forearms, allowing the basher in him to take over without inhibitions. This tweak reduced his dependency on high-risk 360-degree innovations while also increasing his proficiency in hitting through the line.

New Zealand batting coach Luke Ronchi, too, gave his stamp of approval for the tactical shift, adding that the set-up has opened up several avenues for Seifert against the slower bowlers.

“That’s something he decided he wanted to do because it just felt natural. It’s quite a big movement, and obviously not many people have that sort of style. But again it makes him clear and calm in how he wants to do it,” Ronchi said ahead of the Kiwis’ match against the UAE.

The stars align

The stars seem to be aligning for the Kiwi batter. After a dismal 2021 World Cup and heartbreaking absences in 2022 and 2024 — the third despite maintaining prolific numbers — the 2026 extravaganza has seen Seifert become the first to breach the 150-run mark this tournament (154 runs in two outings).

That these heroics occurred in Chennai is a script no writer could have penned better. It was in this coastal city, during the 2021 IPL, that Seifert faced his toughest challenge: testing positive for COVID-19 and being left behind as the only overseas player in isolation.

“The world stops a little bit,” a visibly emotional Seifert had said after his two-week quarantine in Chennai.

Five years later, the world stopped again — not in sympathy, but in awe of his ‘Bam Bam’ brilliance at Chepauk.