New Zealand vs UAE Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: New Zealand chase down 174 in 15.2 overs for a 10-wicket victory over UAE

Jacob Duffy to Aryansh Sharma, WIDE! A bit too straight down the leg stump line, on a shorter length. Aryansh misses helping it away. Seifert collects around his chest.

Jacob Duffy to Muhammad Waseem, Hits the hard length, outside off, Muhammad Waseem hangs back and steers it to deep backward point for a single.

Jacob Duffy to bowl from the opposite end.

Matt Henry to Aryansh Sharma, FOUR! Ends the over with a boundary! Matt Henry errs his line down the leg side, Aryansh Sharma picks it well and helps it through fine leg for a boundary, first of the match.

Matt Henry to Aryansh Sharma, Hard length, on leg, Aryansh Sharma blocks it to mid on.

Matt Henry to Muhammad Waseem, Much fuller, outside off, Muhammad Waseem pushes it to point for a single.

Matt Henry to Muhammad Waseem, Short, outside off, Muhammad Waseem leaves it alone.

Matt Henry to Aryansh Sharma, An appeal for LBW, but not given. Back of a length, jagging back in with a good bounce again. Aryansh Sharma misses to work that across off the back foot and is rapped high on the front thigh. Santner gives it a thought, but then decides not to review it. Possibly, height is the factor.

Matt Henry to Aryansh Sharma, Nips in a touch straightaway, on a good length, on middle. Aryansh Sharma hops on the back foot and drops it down the pitch. Already, there are signs of good bounce.

All set for the game to start in Chennai. The umpires make their way out to the middle. Mitchell Santner leads his troops out to the center as the Kiwis spread on the field. Aryansh Sharma walks out with his skipper, Muhammad Waseem, to open for the UAE. Matt Henry will bowl the first over of the match. Sharma to face the first ball. One slip in place. Here we go...

The giant flags of both nations unfurl out in the middle as it is time for the national anthems. Both sets of players get lined up along with the match officials. It will be UAE's first, followed by that of New Zealand's.

PITCH REPORT - Ian Smith says it is a beautiful afternoon and informs that it is pretty humid out there. In terms of ground dimensions, he says the square boundaries are 73 and 60 meters, while the straight hit is 75 meters. He feels that due to the bias on one side, the batters will aim to exploit the conditions by targeting the shorter boundaries. Sunil Gavaskar joins in and straightaway says it is made for runs. The Little Master details that it is pretty hard and mentions that if you punch it, you might as well break your knuckles. So, he expects the bounce to be true throughout the game. Highlights that New Zealand bowled majorly on short and short of a length to tie up the batters in their previous game against Afghanistan. Stresses that bowling fuller here will invite a lot of trouble. Expects the first inning score to be in the range of 180-200.

The captain of New Zealand - Mitchell Santner says it looks like a good wicket and they were also thinking of batting first. Informs that they are going with the same team that played the previous game. Adds that it is the first time he has seen some grass on a wicket in Chennai. Further details that the surface in the last game was more of a black soil, whereas this one, he points out, is a red soil surface. Expects that it will stay true throughout and will offer a good bit of bounce and carry as well.  Santner notes that preparation now involves watching a lot of videos and keeping up with franchise cricket. He admits that UAE is a good side, saying they rely on a few key players but have a strong overall squad that can make things tricky for them.

The captain of United Arab Emirates - Muhammad Waseem says the pitch looks good and is expected to play the same across both innings. He hopes the team can put a competitive total on the board and adds that they are keen to show the world how they play T20 cricket. Acknowledging that it is a tough group, he stresses that the side is ready for the challenge, having arrived with a different mindset and clear plans, taking the tournament one game at a time. He also notes that the confidence in the camp is high, and with a new venue and a new tournament, he aims to lead from the front.

New Zealand (Unchanged Playing XI) - Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.

United Arab Emirates (Playing XI) - Aryansh Sharma (WK), Muhammad Waseem (C), Alishan Sharafu, Mayank Kumar, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid.