New Delhi: Finn Allen and Tim Seifert dashed the miracle hopes of the United Arab Emirates with a remarkable opening partnership to give New Zealand their second successive win of the T20 World Cup 2026. After posting a challenging total of 173/6, which is also the UAE’s highest in T20 World Cups, the Asian giants were in with a chance at mid-innings in the Group D clash at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
But Seifert and Finn had other ideas.
The explosive Kiwi opening duo didn’t give an inch to the UAE bowlers with an incredible and non-stop onslaught that started in the opening over and ended in the 16th over with a commanding 10-wicket win.
In one of the most dominant batting performances in World Cup history, Finn and Seifert made light work of the 174-run target with blistering half-centuries. The pair remained undefeated as New Zealand reached 175 for 0 in 15.2 overs as the opening duo posted the highest partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cups.
While Seifert brought up his fifty off 23 balls (the joint fastest for the Kiwis in the Men’s T20 World Cup), Allen crossed the 50-run mark in 27 balls.
Seifert remained unbeaten on 89 off 42 balls (12x4s and 3x6s), and Allen scored 84 not out off 50 balls (5x4s, 5x6s) as New Zealand made a mockery of a decent target to register their second win on the bounce. The Kiwis opened their campaign with an impressive win over Chennai at the same venue on Sunday.