New Zealand kicked off their T20 World Cup campaign with a record-breaking victory, chasing down a target of 183 to defeat Afghanistan by 5 wickets in Chennai on Sunday.
This is now New Zealand's highest successful run chase in T20 World Cup history, surpassing their previous best of 170.
Batting first after winning the toss, Afghanistan posted a competitive 182 for 6 in their 20 overs. All-rounder Gulbadin Naib starred with a career-best 63, while Sediqullah Atal contributed 29 and Rahmanullah Gurbaz added 27.
Lockie Ferguson was the pick of the bowlers for the Kiwis, taking 2 wickets in a single over during the powerplay to check Afghanistan’s momentum.
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In reply, New Zealand faced an early scare as spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck twice in the second over, removing Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra to leave them at 14 for 2. However, a counter-attacking partnership between Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips steadied the ship.
Seifert played a match-winning knock of 65, while Phillips smashed a quickfire 42 off 25 balls. Their aggressive approach ensured New Zealand never fell behind the required rate, with the team reaching 52 for 2 by the end of the powerplay.
Later contributions from Mark Chapman (28 off 17) and Daryl Mitchell (25 off 14) helped the Black Caps seal the win with 13 balls to spare.