New Zealand seal commanding 10-wicket win against UAE to strengthen T20 World Cup 2026 campaign

New Zealand cruised past UAE with a commanding victory in the 11th match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in Chennai. The Blackcaps chased down 174 runs with ten wickets to spare, thanks to openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert's outstanding performance. This win was a message to the other teams that the series defeat against India was only a stepping stone and that the Blackcaps are ready to take on the World Cup. 

UAE decided to bat first on winning the toss. They started the innings with a wicket in 1.3 overs but what happened later was pure surprise for everyone. Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu made a 107-run stand and helped their team post 173 runs on the board. It was an incredible batting performance, punishing the Kiwis on every bad delivery and rewarding good ones. 

New Zealand bowlers were completely out of line and frustrated as the batters stayed around for 14.2 overs without losing anymore wicket. But, skipper Mitchell Santner removed Sharafu and the rest of the team fell like a pack of cards. It wasn't an mindblowing bowling display from the Kiwi bowlers but they somehow managed to stop the opponents from going past 200+ runs. 

Tim Seifert and Finn Allen's unbeaten stand helps NZ secure another win

New Zealand's Tim Seifert and Fin Allen started the run-chase in a sensible manner but nobody would have expected them to stay throughout the innings and take the game home. They stitched a 174-run partnership and helped the Kiwis secure another win the tournament. With one more victory, they'll be through to the knockout stages. 

UAE bowlers were completely out of the game today. This was their second defeat of the edition and qualifying from this stage will be extremely difficult for them. UAE did have a good batting line-up but the bowlers are yet to perform. 

Where to watch ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches from February 7 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?