New Zealand made it two wins out of two in T20 World Cup 2026, courtesy a ruthless ten-wicket demolition of UAE in Chennai on Tuesday (February 10). Chasing a slightly below-par target of 174, New Zealand's openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen made merry to bulldoze UAE's bowlers as the chase was done with 28 deliveries remaining.
Both batters could have got to their respective centuries if the target was a bit higher. Nevertheless, they were in top form with Seifert carrying on from his antics against Afghanistan to conjure a 42-ball 89*. Allen was relatively subdued with a 50-ball 84* but both showed no mercy on UAE's bowlers.
When a target of 174 is done inside 16 overs, it is understood that the bowlers got a pasting. However, left-arm spinner Haider Ali still managed to hold his own, conceding just 27 off his quota of four overs. Despite that, the chase was done very well and that tells you how nightmarish an outing it was for the other UAE bowlers.
Here are the list of records achieved during New Zealand's ten-wicket win against UAE:
- The 175-run stand between Seifert and Allen is now a world record for the highest partnership (for any wicket) in T20 World Cup history
- Allen and Seifert have both joined the club of New Zealand players to hit 100 sixes in T20Is; only three NZ players had done it before
- This is only the third 150-plus stand for New Zealand in T20Is
- New Zealand have recorded their first ten-wicket win in T20 World Cup history; this is the seventh instance of such a result in T20 WCs
- The total of 173 is UAE's highest-ever score in T20 World Cup history
