T20 WORLD CUP | Seifert, Phillips counterattack in style to take New Zealand home

When Mujeeb Ur Rahman castled Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra off successive deliveries in the second over of New Zealand’s chase, Afghanistan would have believed it had a chance to recreate its feat against the same opponent from two years ago.

However, Tim Seifert (65) and Glenn Phillips’ counterattacking knocks ensured the Black Caps would not trip up again as they kick-started their 2026 T20 World Cup (Group D) campaign with a five-wicket win at the MAC Stadium here on Sunday.

Chasing 183, the duo’s 74-run partnership laid the platform for Mitchell Santner’s men to overhaul the target with 13 balls to spare.

The two batters picked their battles wisely, Seifert taking on the pacers while Phillips (42) challenged the spinners. The former set the tone in the first over, smoking left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi for three boundaries. Phillips, meanwhile, swept Mujeeb to the fence a couple of times to guide New Zealand to 52 for two at the end of the PowerPlay.

Glenn Phillips of New Zealand in action during the ICC T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan at the MAC Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU

Phillips next welcomed Rashid Khan by smashing him for a maximum and a four. Later, Seifert turned on the heat, slogging Mohammad Nabi for consecutive sixes and a four to bring the asking rate down before perishing. Daryl Mitchell and Santner, though, eventually got the job done.

Earlier, Afghanistan, opting to bat first, made 182 for six riding on Gulbadin Naib’s 63 (35b, 3×4, 4×6). Naib, who walked in at No. 3, took his time to settle in, managing just 18 off his first 16 deliveries.

After the halfway stage, Naib stepped up a gear against the part-timers when he swept Phillips over midwicket and then launched into James Neesham in an 18-run 13th over.

Gulbadin Naib of Afghanistan during the ICC T20 World Cup match against New Zealand at the MAC Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU

From there, Naib muscled a couple of clean hits down the ground to bring up his half-century off just 29 balls. However, Afghanistan’s cautious approach in the first 10 overs meant it ended up a few runs short.

The scores: Afghanistan 182/6 in 20 overs (Gulbadin Naib 63, Ferguson 2/40) lost to New Zealand 183/5 in 17.5 overs (Tim Seifert 65, Glenn Phillips 42, Mujeeb 2/31).

Toss: Afghanistan; PoM: Seifert.