Tag: New Zealand

A half-century by Tim Seifert and skipper Mitchell Santner’s three wickets steered New Zealand to a 50-run consolation win over India in the fourth T20 international on Wednesday.

New Zealand posted 215-7 after being put in to bat thanks to a century stand between openers Seifert, who hit 62 off 36 balls, and Devon Conway, who struck 44, in Visakhapatnam.

Santner led the bowling attack with figures of 3 for 26 as New Zealand dismissed India for 165, pulling one back after the hosts had sealed the five‑match series in the third game.

The two teams now head into the fifth match on Saturday, the final tune-up ahead of the T20 World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

New Zealand started strongly with Seifert taking on Arshdeep Singh in the opening over with three successive fours and keeping up the attack in the next over off Harshit Rana.

Conway joined the charge as New Zealand raced to 100 in 8.1 overs and Seifert reached his fifty in 25 balls.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav broke through as he removed Conway with Rinku Singh taking his first of four catches in the innings.

Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Rachin Ravindra, caught and bowled for two, in the next over and soon Arshdeep cut short Seifert’s knock with his left-arm pace.

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Kuldeep had Glenn Phillips out for 24 off 16 balls and suddenly New Zealand seemed to lose their way before Daryl Mitchell stepped in.

Mitchell struck an unbeaten 18-ball 39 and hit two fours and three sixes to boost the Kiwi total.

In reply, India lost swashbuckling opener Abhishek Sharma on the first ball with Matt Henry drawing a top edge to third man.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav fell in the next over, caught and bowled for eight off Jacob Duffy.

Santner’s left-arm spin then accounted for Sanju Samson (24) and Hardik Pandya as India slipped to 63-4.

Shivam Dube hit back in his 23-ball 65, clubbing seven sixes and three fours as he reached his fifty in just 15 deliveries.

But he was run out in an unlucky manner when a shot from Rana grazed Henry’s hand and deflected onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end.

Wickets kept tumbling and the Indian innings folded in 18.4 overs.

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HARARE: Abdul Subhan’s four-wicket haul, followed by Sameer Minhas’ blistering knock, powered Pakistan to a dominant eight-wicket victory over New Zealand in their Super Six encounter of the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup 2026 at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.

Chasing a modest 111-run target, Sameer Minhas steered Pakistan across the line with 32.5 overs to spare, thanks to his brilliant knock of 76 runs.

The Green Shirts, however, did not get the desired start to the run chase, losing Hamza Zahoor in the third over with 18 runs on the board.

Minhas was joined by Usman Khan, who scored a cautious 15 off 24, and together they put Pakistan in the driving seat with a 67-run partnership.

Luke Harrison broke the stand, removing a struggling Usman, only to bring out skipper Farhan Yousaf to the crease, who added finishing touches to the run-chase.

Yousaf scored 11 off 9 while Minhas continued his strokeplay to help Pakistan cross the finishing line without further loss.

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Earlier, New Zealand were bundled for mere 110 runs after being invited to bat first.

The Black Caps never recovered from an early blow when opener Marco William Alpe was trapped by Ali Raza for just 2, leaving the side reeling at 7-1 in the third over.

A brief recovery seemed possible when Hugo Bogue and captain Tom Jones stitched together a 48-run partnership, but the stand was broken by Mohammad Sayyam, who dismissed Bogue for 39 off 27 balls.

The right-hander’s knock featured six boundaries and two sixes, yet his dismissal proved to be a turning point.

The momentum shifted further in the next over when Subhan struck, removing skipper Jones for 15, and New Zealand’s innings collapsed dramatically thereafter.

The Blackcaps slipped from 59-2 to 67-7, as Pakistan’s bowlers applied relentless pressure. Ali Raza and Abdul Subhan were the architects of the collapse, leaving New Zealand’s lower order scrambling for survival.

The tail tried to offer resistance, but it was short-lived. Callum Samson added just 10 before falling to spinner Momin Qamar, while Mason Clarke managed 17 off 48 balls before becoming Subhan’s fourth victim.

Hunter Shore contributed 13 but was run out, bringing the innings to a close at 110.

Subhan finished as the standout bowler with 4-11 in 6.3 overs, while Ali Raza supported him with 3 wickets. Mohammad Sayyam and Momin Qamar also chipped in with one wicket each.

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Blistering knocks by skipper Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan led India to a crushing seven-wicket win over New Zealand on Friday, giving them a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20 series.

Chasing 209 for victory, India rode on a 122-run third-wicket stand between Kishan (76) and Suryakumar, who made an unbeaten 82, to achieve the target with 28 balls to spare in the second match in Raipur.

India head into the third match on Sunday in Guwahati with an eye on the series, which is a warm-up ahead of the T20 World Cup starting on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

The left-handed Kishan, who returned to the Indian team in the opener after two years, lifted the hosts from 6-2 with a string of boundaries.

He reached his fifty in 21 balls with a four and kept up the charge until his departure off leg-spinner Ish Sodhi. Kishan struck 11 fours and four sixes in his 32-ball knock.

Suryakumar reached his first fifty in the format for 468 days — and 23 innings — after which he raised his bat and looked up to the skies amid the applause.

His previous half-century was against Bangladesh on October 12, 2024.

Suryakumar, who hit nine fours and four sixes in his 37-ball blitz, and the left-handed Shivam Dube, who struck 36, put an unbeaten partnership of 81 to pulverise the opposition.

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Matt Henry and Jacob Duffy took a wicket each in the first two overs before Zak Foulkes conceded 24 runs off the third over, which started with a no ball for four and three wides.

Earlier, New Zealand posted 208-6 with skipper Mitchell Santner hitting an unbeaten 47 off 27 balls in a late blitz by the number seven batter.

New Zealand started strongly with opener Devon Conway and Tim Seifert taking on the opposition attack with a string of boundaries in a quickfire 43-run stand.

Medium-pace bowler Harshit Rana dismissed the left-handed Conway for the fourth time in successive white-ball matches to start with a maiden wicket. Conway made 19 off nine balls.

Wicketkeeper-batter Seifert, who made 24, followed his opening partner back to the pavilion without troubling the score as he fell to Varun Chakravarthy’s spin.

Glenn Phillips kept up the attack in his brief stay of 19 runs and, after his departure, the left-handed Rachin Ravindra took the lead in his 44 off 26 balls.

India struck regular blows including two to left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav but New Zealand batters kept up the pace and Foulkes finished with a six and four, but the effort was not enough to challenge India.

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New Zealand have been dealt a significant blow ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, with fast bowler Adam Milne ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a hamstring injury during the ongoing SA20 in South Africa.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed on Friday that Kyle Jamieson, who was initially named as a travelling reserve, has been added to the main squad as Milne’s replacement.

Milne suffered the injury while bowling his opening over for Sunrisers Eastern Cape against MI Cape Town last Sunday.

Subsequent scans revealed the extent of the hamstring tear, forcing the 32-year-old pacer to withdraw from the global event.

Prior to the setback, Milne had enjoyed a productive SA20 campaign, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 16.27 and an economy rate of 7.61.

New Zealand head coach Rob Walter expressed his disappointment at losing the experienced fast bowler at a crucial stage.

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“We’re all gutted for Adam,” Walter said. “He’d worked incredibly hard to get himself ready for the tournament and was looking back to his best in his eight games for the Eastern Cape Sunrisers.”

“It’s really unfortunate timing, and we wish him a speedy recovery.”

Jamieson, who is currently part of New Zealand’s squad touring India, has been elevated from reserve status.

Squad changes can be made freely until January 31, after which any replacements will require approval from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“It’s great that Kyle is already with us here in India,” Walter added.

“He’s an integral part of our pace-bowling group and has hit the ground running on this tour. He brings valuable experience and skill, which will serve us well at the World Cup.”

The tall right-armer made his return to international cricket late last year following a long layoff due to a back injury and recently impressed with a career-best 4 for 41 in the first ODI against India earlier this month.

New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 squad

Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi.

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Opener Abhishek Sharma struck 84 off 35 balls to set up a convincing 48-run win for India in the first of five T20 internationals against New Zealand on Wednesday.

Abhishek smashed eight sixes to get India off to a flying start before a late unbeaten cameo of 44 by Rinku Singh helped the hosts reach 238-7 after being invited to bat first in Nagpur.

New Zealand could only muster 190-7 in response as regular wickets helped India take a 1-0 lead in the warm-up series ahead of the T20 World Cup starting February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.

Glenn Phillips hit a valiant 78 off 40 balls and briefly threatened a fightback in his 79-run partnership with Mark Chapman, who made 39.

But Phillips’ exit in the 14th over off left-arm spinner Axar Patel ended New Zealand’s hopes despite a sloppy fielding display by the hosts.

Spinner Varun Chakravarthy took two key wickets including Tim Robinson, for 21, and Chapman.

Shivam Dube also took two wickets in two balls with his medium pace in the final over.

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Abhishek was in fine flow despite India losing two early wickets — his fellow opener Sanju Samson for 10 and Ishan Kishan, back in the side for the first time since 2023, for eight.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav put on 99 runs for the third wicket with Abhishek, making a 22-ball 32.

Suryakumar, 35, started slowly but gained some momentum as he attempts to end his recent slump in form ahead of the World Cup.

Suryakumar, formerly the ICC’s top-ranked T20I batter, has failed to score a fifty in his 23 innings in the format dating back to October 2024.

He holed out off the left-arm spin of his opposite number Mitchell Santner.

Abhishek kept up the charge and raced to his seventh T20 fifty for India in 22 balls, but finally fell to Ish Sodhi after he mistimed a hit to long-on.

India lost a couple more quick wickets and the run-scoring dipped before Rinku cracked three sixes and four fours in his 20-ball knock to finish with a flourish.

The second match is on Friday in Raipur.

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New Zealand’s preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 have been disrupted by fresh injury concerns, with fast bowler Adam Milne and all-rounder Michael Bracewell both picking up knocks just weeks before the global tournament.

Milne sustained a left hamstring injury while bowling for Sunrisers Eastern Cape during an SA20 fixture on Sunday.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed on Tuesday that the pacer is undergoing assessment to determine the severity of the injury, casting uncertainty over his availability for the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Bracewell, meanwhile, suffered a left calf strain while fielding in the third and final ODI against India in Indore on Sunday.

The all-rounder had just captained New Zealand to a historic 2–1 ODI series win over India, making the setback particularly untimely.

Despite the injury, Bracewell has travelled with the T20I squad to Nagpur, where New Zealand are set to begin a five-match T20I series against India.

Head coach Rob Walter confirmed that the team management will monitor Bracewell closely over the coming days before taking a call on his continued involvement in the tour.

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“Bracewell will be treated and monitored over the coming days before a decision on his further involvement in the tour is confirmed,” NZC said in a statement.

With player availability becoming a growing concern, all-rounder Kristian Clarke has been added to the squad as cover for the first three T20Is against India, starting on Wednesday.

Walter acknowledged the challenges posed by injuries and player movement but said the inclusion of Clarke would help balance the squad.

“We’ve got a fair bit of player movement at the moment with some guys returning from injury for this series, others joining us immediately from franchise cricket, and the rest coming off the India ODI series,” Walter said.

“We want to ensure we’ve got enough pace-bowling options for the first three games of this series, and it’s a great opportunity for Kristian to stay on with the group a little longer on his first tour of India.”

New Zealand will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in Group D against Afghanistan in Chennai on February 8.

New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 squad

Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi.

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New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert will not feature in the upcoming season 11 of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), confirming that he has decided to sit out the upcoming season due to other professional commitments.

Seifert, who has been a regular presence for Karachi Kings in recent PSL editions, shared the update during an interview with a sports platform following Melbourne Renegades’ match against Perth Scorchers.

While expressing his fondness for the league, the 31-year-old made it clear that scheduling priorities have forced him to miss PSL 11.

“I love playing in the PSL, it’s always fun,” Seifert said. “At the moment, I’ve got an opportunity elsewhere, so I’ll be missing this year’s edition. But I really enjoyed my last two years in the PSL.”

The New Zealand batter has played a significant role for Karachi Kings in previous seasons, appearing in 17 matches and scoring 424 runs at an average of 24.94.

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He maintained an impressive strike rate of 141.33, often providing stability and momentum at the top of the order.

Tim Seifert brings extensive franchise experience, having featured in major T20 leagues around the world, including the Big Bash League (BBL), Caribbean Premier League (CPL), ILT20, Lanka Premier League (LPL) and the Indian Premier League (IPL).

At the international level, the right-handed batter has represented New Zealand in four One-Day Internationals and 77 T20 Internationals

In the shortest format, he has accumulated 1,850 runs at a strike rate of 142.52, with 12 half-centuries to his name.

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India have suffered an early setback in their build-up to the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out of the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, scheduled to run from January 21 to 31.

The series forms a crucial part of India’s preparations for the global event, which gets underway on February 7, but Sundar will play no part after picking up a side strain during the opening ODI against New Zealand in Vadodara last week.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) termed the issue as an “acute onset discomfort in his left lower rib”.

At this stage, there is no clarity on whether the injury could threaten Sundar’s availability for the T20 World Cup, where India will begin their campaign against the USA in Mumbai on the opening day of the tournament.

In response to Sundar’s absence, the selectors have drafted in Delhi batting all-rounder Ayush Badoni as a replacement for the remainder of the ODI series.

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However, the BCCI has yet to confirm whether Badoni will also be added to the T20I squad for the New Zealand series.

Despite the setback, India are not expected to be overly concerned about the all-rounder’s unavailability for the T20Is, with several key players set to link up with the squad in the coming days.

Hardik Pandya, vice-captain Axar Patel, Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube are all expected to bolster the group as India fine-tune combinations ahead of the World Cup.

India will also be without Tilak Varma for the opening three T20Is, with the young batter continuing his recovery after undergoing groin surgery.

The absence of Washington Sundar and Varma will test India’s squad depth, but the management is likely to view the series as an opportunity to assess alternatives before finalising their plans for the T20 World Cup.

India squad for New Zealand T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma (unavailable for first three matches), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel (vice-captain), Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper).

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Daryl Mitchell struck an unbeaten 131 to lead New Zealand to a series-levelling seven-wicket win over India in the second one-day international on Wednesday.

Chasing 285 for victory, Mitchell’s eighth ODI ton and a 162-run stand with Will Young (87) for the third wicket helped New Zealand reach their target with 15 balls to spare in Rajkot.

Mitchell’s knock trumped an unbeaten 112 by KL Rahul in India’s 284-7 and forced the three-match series into a decider on Sunday in Indore.

Mitchell walked in to bat with New Zealand on 46-2 and along with Young helped the Black Caps take control.

Young fell to Kuldeep Yadav in the 38th over but Mitchell stood firm to bring up his hundred.

He hit 11 fours and two sixes in his 117-ball innings and, with Glenn Phillips, who made 32 not out, put together an unbeaten stand of 78.

Indian bowlers enjoyed early success when Harshit Rana bowled Devon Conway, who made 16, and fellow quick Prasidh Krishna had Henry Nicholls inside-edge a delivery onto his stumps for 10.

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But Mitchell, who was dropped on 80, and Young struck regular boundaries as New Zealand completed their highest-ever ODI chase in India.

Earlier, India skipper Shubman Gill made 56 before a brief collapse and a 73-run fifth-wicket partnership between KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja.

Rahul raised his eighth ODI ton in 87 balls with a six off Kyle Jamieson.

India started strongly courtesy of Gill and Rohit Sharma, who scored 24, as the opening pair put on 70 runs.

Rohit failed to capitalise on his start and fell to Kristian Clarke, before pace spearhead Jamieson sent back Gill.

Clarke kept up the charge with his medium-pace bowling to dismiss Shreyas Iyer for eight and the in-form Virat Kohli for 23.

The 37-year-old Kohli, who returned to the top of the ODI batting rankings on Wednesday, walked back to stunned silence after he played on as India slipped from 99-1 to 118-4.

Rahul then took centre stage to rebuild the innings along with Jadeja, who made 27.

The series will be followed by five T20s, ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka between February 7 and March 8.

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Virat Kohli hit 93 to help India chase down 301 in a tense four-wicket win over New Zealand in the first one-day international on Sunday.

The in-form Kohli struck his 77th ODI half-century but missed out on a ton as India slipped from 234-2 to 242-5 before they reached their target with six balls to spare in Vadodara.

Skipper Shubman Gill made 56 in a 118-run second-wicket stand with Kohli, who shared another strong partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who made 49.

Late cameos by Harshit Rana (29) and wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul, who made an unbeaten 29 including the winning six, secured an Indian lead in the three-match series 1-0.

New Zealand pace spearhead Kyle Jamieson stood out with figures of 4-41.

Kohli led the chase as he went past Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara (28,016 runs) to become the second leading run-scorer in international cricket, behind fellow Indian Sachin Tendulkar (34,357).

The 37-year-old Kohli only plays the ODI format after he and fellow stalwart Rohit Sharma, 38, retired from T20 and Test cricket.

Rohit started strongly in his brisk 26 before he fell to New Zealand Jamieson.

The packed crowd welcomed Kohli with a huge roar as the star batter joined Gill at the crease to take the attack to the opposition.

He was ably supported by Gill, who has returned from an injury and a snub by the selectors from the T20 World Cup squad.

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Gill started slowly before he gained pace to raise his 16th ODI fift,y but soon fell to rookie leg-spinner Adithya Ashok.

Kohli was denied a ton by Jamieson, who got the batter caught out at extra cover. The former captain walked back to a standing ovation.

Jamieson dismissed Ravindra Jadeja, for four, in the same over and in the next bowled Iyer to raise New Zealand’s hopes of a turnaround.

India’s troubles increased with injury to Washington Sundar, who suffered a reported side strain while bowling his off-spin and came out to bat at number eight.

Earlier, New Zealand posted 300-8 after Daryl Mitchell hit 84 to defy the Indian bowlers after the hosts elected to field first.

Openers Devon Conway, who made 56, and Henry Nicholls (62) put on 117 but New Zealand suffered from a lack of major partnerships after their big opening stand.

Pace bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Rana and Praisdh Krishna took two wickets each.

The second match is on Wednesday in Rajkot.

The series will be followed by five T20s ahead of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka between February 7 and March 8.

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