Afghanistan starts their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a loss. After making it all the way to the semi-finals last time, they stumbled against New Zealand, losing by 5 wickets in the tournament’s fourth match. Batting first at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, Afghanistan put up 182 for 6. New Zealand, though, had a shaky start—two wickets gone in just the second over. Even so, they chased down the target in the 18th over. Here’s the kicker: Afghanistan had never lost before after posting over 175 runs batting first in T20 internationals. New Zealand’s chase of 183 is now the highest ever against Afghanistan.
Batting first Afghanistan scored 182
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat, but things started slow. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran managed just 35 runs for the opening stand in 31 balls. Zadran went for 10 off 12. Gurbaz left soon after with 27 from 22. By the end of the powerplay, Afghanistan sat at 44 for 2—nothing flashy.
That’s when Gulbadin Naib stepped in. Batting at three, Naib paired up with Sediqullah Atal for a solid 79-run stand. Atal chipped in 29 off 24 before departing, but Naib didn’t let up. He powered his way to 63 from just 35 balls, smashing four sixes and three fours, and really gave the fans something to cheer about. Darwish Rasooli added 20 off 13, Azmatullah Omarzai hit a quick 14 off 7, and Mohammad Nabi finished unbeaten on 10 from 7. Afghanistan ended up at 182. For New Zealand, Lockie Ferguson picked up 2 wickets for 40 runs in his four overs, while Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, and Rachin Ravindra each took one.
Seifert and Phillips turned the match around for the Kiwis
New Zealand’s start was a disaster—Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra both fell to Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the second over, back-to-back. But Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips steadied things. They didn’t waste any time, pushing the score past 50 by the end of the powerplay. Phillips looked set for a fifty but lost his stumps to Rashid Khan after a quickfire 42 off 25. He and Seifert put on 74 from just 46 balls.
Seifert reached his half-century off 39 balls. He went big—two sixes and a four in three deliveries—then got caught by Mohammad Nabi right after. He finished with 65 off 42, with seven fours and three sixes. Mark Chapman chipped in 28 from 17, Daryl Mitchell stayed unbeaten on 25, and captain Mitchell Santner added 17. Together, they got New Zealand home with seven balls to spare.
