Kamal Ghorui
Tim Seifert’s trademark aggression lit up New Zealand’s chase as they secured a five-wicket win over Afghanistan in their Group D clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. Chasing 183, Seifert lived up to his ‘Bam Bam’ nickname with a commanding 65 off 42 balls, striking seven fours and three sixes to keep the chase firmly under control. His innings ensured New Zealand crossed the line with minimal fuss despite an early stumble.
That stumble came courtesy of a brief spell of brilliance from Mujeeb ur Rahman, who removed Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra in consecutive deliveries in the second over, leaving New Zealand reeling at 14 for two. However, Seifert found the perfect ally in Glenn Phillips, and the duo rebuilt with intent. Their 74-run stand for the third wicket, scored in just 47 balls, turned the momentum decisively in New Zealand’s favour. Seifert brought up his half-century from 39 balls with a towering six off Mohammad Nabi, and as the innings progressed, the pitch offered less assistance to the spinners. Phillips took the attack to Rashid Khan, dispatching him for a four and a six as New Zealand surged ahead. Afghanistan did manage late strikes, with Nabi dismissing Seifert and Rashid accounting for Phillips. Seifert, though, made full use of a reprieve on 48 when Rashid put down a return catch. By the time both batters departed, the job was nearly done, and Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner calmly polished off the remaining 28 runs. Earlier, Afghanistan posted 182 for six, a total that felt slightly under-par on a surface with some slowness. Veteran Gulbadin Naib top-scored with a fluent 63 off 35 balls, while Sediqullah Atal contributed 29 in a third-wicket stand of 79 from 51 deliveries. Despite the partnership, Afghanistan’s innings lacked explosive acceleration. Their progress was steady rather than spectacular, reaching 44 for two in the Power Play, 77 for two at halfway and 130 for three after 15 overs. The final five overs yielded 52 runs, but they would have hoped for more. Rahmanullah Gurbaz looked in good touch before Lockie Ferguson’s slower ball shattered his stumps in the sixth over. In the same over, Ferguson also removed Ibrahim Zadran, using his leg-cutters effectively. Naib reached his fifty in just 29 balls and injected momentum by taking on Jacob Duffy with two sixes and a four. Atal supported well but was dismissed by Duffy, a moment that allowed Naib to combine with Darwish Rasooli for a brisk 33-run stand as Afghanistan crossed 150. However, Naib’s dismissal to Rachin Ravindra in the 18th over stalled the late charge. Azmatullah Omarzai struck a couple of sixes at the end to push Afghanistan past 180, but it was not quite enough against a composed New Zealand chase.
