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The Afghanistan National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team match scorecard provides a detailed record of one of the exciting contests between the two teams in T20 international cricket. Afghanistan and New Zealand met in the opening stages of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with the match taking place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on 8 February 2026. Afghanistan, after winning the toss, scored 182/6 in 20 overs. Gulbadin Naib led the batting effort with an aggressive 63 from 35 balls, while Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli also made useful contributions. New Zealand responded strongly, reaching 183/5 in 17.5 overs to win by five wickets with 13 balls remaining. Tim Seifert was the outstanding performer, scoring 65 from 42 balls, while Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner all contributed during the successful chase. The match scorecard highlights New Zealand’s ability to recover from a difficult beginning. Afghanistan’s bowlers reduced the Black Caps to 14/2, but Seifert and Phillips rebuilt the innings before New Zealand accelerated toward the target. Afghanistan vs New Zealand Match Scorecard at a Glance Match Detail Information Match Afghanistan vs New Zealand Tournament ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Stage Group D Date 8 February 2026 Venue MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Format T20 International Toss Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat Afghanistan Score 182/6 in 20 overs New Zealand Score 183/5 in 17.5 overs Result New Zealand won by 5 wickets Winning Margin 5 wickets Balls Remaining 13 Player of the Match Tim Seifert Afghanistan Top Scorer Gulbadin Naib – 63 New Zealand Top Scorer Tim Seifert – 65 Best Afghanistan Bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman – 2/31 Best New Zealand Bowler Lockie Ferguson – 2/40 Afghanistan Innings Scorecard Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first. New Zealand’s fast bowlers made an immediate impact, with Lockie Ferguson dismissing Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz during the powerplay. Afghanistan were reduced to 44/2 after six overs, putting pressure on the middle order. Gulbadin Naib then played a crucial innings. Coming in at No. 3, he attacked the New Zealand bowlers and formed an important partnership with Sediqullah Atal. Naib scored 63 from 35 balls, striking three fours and four sixes. His strike rate of 180 gave Afghanistan the acceleration they needed during the middle overs. Sediqullah Atal added 29 from 24 balls, and the pair put together a 79-run partnership that stabilized the innings. Darwish Rasooli later scored 20 from 13 deliveries, while Azmatullah Omarzai contributed 14 from only seven balls. Mohammad Nabi remained unbeaten on 10. Afghanistan eventually finished on 182/6 in 20 overs. Afghanistan Batting Scorecard Batter R B 4s 6s Strike Rate Rahmanullah Gurbaz 27 22 2 1 122.73 Ibrahim Zadran 10 12 1 0 83.33 Gulbadin Naib 63 35 3 4 180.00 Sediqullah Atal 29 24 2 0 120.83 Darwish Rasooli 20 13 1 1 153.85 Azmatullah Omarzai 14 7 0 2 200.00 Mohammad Nabi 10* 7 0 1 142.86 Rashid Khan Did not bat — — — — Mujeeb Ur Rahman Did not bat — — — — Ziaur Rahman Did not bat — — — — Fazalhaq Farooqi Did not bat — — — — Extras 9 Total 182/6 20 overs The scorecard shows that Afghanistan’s innings was driven mainly by Naib’s attacking 63. His contribution was particularly important after Afghanistan lost two early wickets. New Zealand Bowling Scorecard New Zealand’s bowling attack performed well in the early stages. Lockie Ferguson removed both Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz during the powerplay. Jacob Duffy and Matt Henry also took important wickets, while Rachin Ravindra dismissed Naib after his aggressive innings. Mitchell Santner was particularly economical, conceding only 23 runs from his four overs. Bowler Overs Runs Wickets Economy Matt Henry 4 27 1 6.75 Jacob Duffy 3 30 1 10.00 Lockie Ferguson 4 40 2 10.00 James Neesham 3 33 0 11.00 Mitchell Santner 4 23 0 5.75 Glenn Phillips 1 12 0 12.00 Rachin Ravindra 1 14 1 14.00 Lockie Ferguson’s 2/40 gave New Zealand early control, while Santner’s economical spell helped limit Afghanistan’s scoring opportunities. Fall of Wickets – Afghanistan Score Wicket Over 35 Ibrahim Zadran 5.1 44 Rahmanullah Gurbaz 5.6 123 Sediqullah Atal 14.3 156 Gulbadin Naib 17.2 164 Darwish Rasooli 18.1 182 Azmatullah Omarzai 19.6 Afghanistan’s early wickets prevented the team from making an even larger total. However, Naib’s partnership with Atal ensured they recovered strongly enough to post 182. New Zealand Innings Scorecard New Zealand needed 183 runs to win, requiring a scoring rate of just over nine runs per over. Afghanistan’s spinners produced an excellent start. Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra from consecutive deliveries, leaving New Zealand at 14/2. Glenn Phillips then joined Tim Seifert and helped rebuild the innings. Phillips scored 42 from 25 balls, including seven fours and a six. He and Seifert added 74 runs for the third wicket. Seifert continued to attack after Phillips was dismissed. He reached his half-century from 39 balls and eventually scored 65 from 42 deliveries. Mark Chapman then made 28 from 17 balls, while Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner finished the chase in style. Mitchell scored an unbeaten 25 from 14 balls, while Santner smashed 17 not out from only eight deliveries. New Zealand reached 183/5 in 17.5 overs, winning with 13 balls remaining. New Zealand Batting Scorecard Batter R B 4s 6s Strike Rate Tim Seifert 65 42 7 3 154.76 Finn Allen 1 2 0 0 50.00 Rachin Ravindra 0 1 0 0 0.00 Glenn Phillips 42 25 7 1 168.00 Mark Chapman 28 17 2 1 164.71 Daryl Mitchell 25* 14 1 1 178.57 Mitchell Santner 17* 8 2 1 212.50 James Neesham Did not bat — — — — Matt Henry Did not bat — — — — Lockie Ferguson Did not bat — — — — Jacob Duffy Did not bat — — — — Extras 5 Total 183/5 17.5 overs Tim Seifert was the highest scorer

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