United Arab Emirates vs New Zealand Match 11 Full Commentary

We are back for the chase! The players are already out in the middle now. Tim Seifert and Finn Allen are the two explosive Kiwi openers. United Arab Emirates will go with spin early as Haider Ali will take the new ball. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

A challenging total? Going by New Zealand's standards, this can't be termed as a challenging score, given the way they chased down 183 in their previous game, that too, against a quality bowling side of Afghanistan. And with Chepauk’s T20I numbers screaming in favour of the teams chasing, the UAE bowlers will need something special to put the brakes on this Kiwi brigade. But will their inexperienced bowling unit do better on a good batting track? Let's find out. Run chase coming up.

A slight comeback - Between overs 14 and 17, the Kiwis managed to squeeze in a few quiet overs, giving away just 17 runs in that phase and dragging the UAE run rate down. That period also saw Sharafu depart after a spectacular catch. Waseem, though, kept the scoreboard ticking and went on to bring up a responsible half-century. The situation demanded him to bat till the end, which he did and remained unbeaten on 66 off 45 balls, which largely helped the UAE to get to 173/6.

Excellent through the phases - Despite Aryansh Sharma falling early, Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu put together a responsible stand, taking control of the Powerplay as UAE raced to 50 for 1. The pair then continued to dominate through most of the middle overs, adding a massive 107-run partnership. Their fluent scoring left New Zealand searching desperately for breakthroughs as both batters kept the tempo high.

A strong finish for the UAE - 44 runs in the last 3 overs have helped the UAE to get past that 170-run mark. New Zealand bowled well in patches, but might just feel that they gave away a few extra runs. They used 7 bowlers, and did a few experiments as well, which didn't quite go in their favour. For instance, continuing with Phillips for the 18th over, which went for 27 runs, changed the momentum toward the backend.

Final ball coming up. Muhammad Arfan is the next batter in.

35 runs from the last 2 overs for the UAE. Waseem is on strike and will look to face all six of those to get the score past 180. Sohaib Khan walks in at number 6. Matt Henry (3-0-28-0) to wrap up.

Nah, the gamble didn't pay off well for New Zealand. That over just might have provided the momentum UAE were after. Leave 160-170, even 180 plus is on the cards if Waseem keeps the strike for most of the balls left. Lockie Ferguson (2-0-27-0) to bowl the penultimate over.

Onto the next one - With this game wrapped up, New Zealand claim back-to-back wins while UAE start their World Cup campaign with a defeat. The focus now shifts to Group A, where USA take on Pakistan. This clash is especially intriguing, as in the last edition, USA defeated Pakistan in a thrilling Super Over finish in Dallas. That game will get underway shortly, so you can switch tabs and catch all the coverage. Cheers!

The victorious skipper of New Zealand - Mitchell Santner credits the United Arab Emirates' batting on that wicket. Adds that they bowled more into the wicket on the red soil. Reckons that they were cautious about the shorter side of the ground and Rachin Ravindra bowled really well in those conditions. Santner appreciates the knocks from Finn Allen and Tim Seifert at top of the order. Ends by saying they are looking forward to the match against South Africa in Ahmedabad.

The captain of United Arab Emirates - Muhammad Waseem says that they felt they were 15-20 runs short at the halfway mark. Adds that they need to do much better as a bowling group. Mentions that the surface was good for batting and execution with the ball becomes important. He tells that it is not about the effort, but about executing your plans and choosing the right options, which they did not do and will need to address before the next games. Waseem says that this game is behind them now. They will take the positives from it, especially the way they batted, and will work hard to come back stronger against Canada. He praises Alishan Sharafu and calls him a very talented player. He ends by saying that Sharafu showed what he is capable of and he is confident that he will keep delivering for the team.

Let's hear from the captains now...

Fielding woes and a tough day for UAE - UAE looked a few runs short, but with how the New Zealand openers batted, even 220 might not have been enough. Their fielding was sloppy and failing to pick up a wicket will sting, but amidst all the chaos, Haider was the only bright spot, conceding just 27 runs in his four overs. Waseem now needs to rally his troops and instill the belief that this is just a bad day at the office - they can perform much better in the upcoming games.

UAE post record total, Kiwis respond - Earlier in the game, UAE posted their highest-ever T20 World Cup total, thanks to a brilliant 107-run partnership for the second wicket between Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem, with both players reaching their fifties. Waseem remained unbeaten on 66 off 45 balls, while Mayank Kumar added a quick cameo at the end to boost the total. For New Zealand, Santner was the standout bowler with 1/23, and Henry picked up two wickets. Duffy, Ferguson, Henry, and Phillips all claimed one wicket each, though Duffy didn’t complete his full quota and Phillips went for 27 runs in one of his overs. Despite this, the Kiwis managed to finish the innings on a decent note.

Allen and Seifert fire New Zealand to record chase - Before this World Cup, New Zealand’s highest successful chase was 167 against England in the 2021 semi-final. But in this edition, they’ve shown they can chase down any total with ease, powered by their batting firepower. In this game, they didn’t even need the others, as the openers finished the job. Finn Allen and Tim Seifert delivered a breathtaking display of power-hitting, sparing no bowler, and it almost seemed like a contest between them to see who would score more. Seifert finished unbeaten on 89 off 42, notching back-to-back fifties in this World Cup, while Allen remained not out on 84 off 50, chasing the target with 28 balls to spare.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - Tim Seifert wins this award for his outstanding knock of 89* off 42. He emphasises that it's the openers' job to put the bowlers under pressure early on. Mentions that the ball was holding a bit in the first innings, but once it settled, it was a nice pitch to bat on. On his opening partner, Tim replies that Finn Allen missed out in the last game, but that is T20 cricket, where things do not click every day. Adds that the focus is on playing the way the team wants. Further says that today it came off. Acknowledges that the conditions are different on different grounds and says in a World Cup, they have to adjust quickly to the conditions. On the record partnership between him and Allen, Seifert admits he is not a stats guy but will definitely take the record.

Kiwis set the benchmark with stellar chase - Another fantastic chasing display from New Zealand sees them become the first team to secure two wins in this tournament. It’s a statement batting performance from the Kiwis, with openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert stitching together a record-breaking partnership - the highest for any wicket in Men’s T20 World Cup to seal the game. UAE gave it their all, but they came up against a high-class Black Caps side and will need to put this one out of their memory.

A quiet over after the break. However, New Zealand are just one big hit away from the win and will look to finish this in the next over.

DRINKS! 12 runs needed in 36 balls for New Zealand to win. Seifert and Allen are going neck and neck as far as the individual run-scoring is concerned, but looking at the bigger picture, New Zealand will do a major boost to their net run rate if they wrap it up quickly. United Arab Emirates can only delay the outcome as the result is pretty inevitable here.