Chennai, Feb 10 (NationPress) Tim Seifert and Finn Allen forged a historic opening partnership of 175 runs as New Zealand decisively defeated the United Arab Emirates by 10 wickets during a Group C match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

The New Zealand openers dismantled the weak bowling of their UAE opponents, securing their second consecutive victory in Chennai, while the UAE team remained winless and visibly frustrated.

After winning the toss, UAE captain Mohammed Waseem chose to bat on a solid, bouncy pitch. However, the innings began poorly when Aryansh Sharma misplayed a quick delivery from Jacob Duffy, getting out for just 12 runs at a score of 1/12.

Following Sharma's dismissal, Waseem and Alishan Sharafu formed a formidable partnership and took charge of the innings. The New Zealand pace bowlers struggled to make an impact as they put together a substantial second-wicket partnership of 107 runs off merely 77 balls. Both Waseem and Sharafu notched up impressive half-centuries, with Sharafu reaching his fifty first before Waseem achieved his 29th T20I half-century.

New Zealand managed to fight back through Mitchell Santner, who dismissed Sharafu for 55, followed by Glenn Phillips in the next over. They restricted the UAE to just 10 runs off 18 balls while claiming 2 wickets, regaining some momentum in the match.

The UAE broke the pressure in style during the 18th over when Mayank Kumar and Waseem struck Phillips for a whopping 27 runs. Ultimately, the UAE finished with a score of 150, with late hits pushing their total to 173/6 in 20 overs—marking the highest T20 World Cup innings ever recorded by the UAE.

Waseem ended his innings at an impressive 66 not out, while the New Zealand bowlers performed admirably, with Matt Henry taking 2 wickets for 37 runs and Santner 1 for 23.

Seifert and Allen began their innings with unparalleled intensity, racing through the Powerplay to score 78 runs in just six overs, mercilessly targeting the UAE's pace attack. Overs of 20 and 22 runs dashed any hopes of a comeback for the UAE.

Both openers reached their half-centuries in record time, with the first 100-run partnership occurring swiftly as boundaries kept flying. Finn Allen, the more subdued of the two, finished with 84 runs from 50 balls, while Tim Seifert was a whirlwind, scoring 89 runs off just 42 balls.

The pair established an unbroken opening partnership of 175 runs, setting the record for the highest opening partnership in T20 World Cup history, eclipsing many renowned pairings.

Summary of scores:

UAE 173/6 in 20 overs (Muhammad Waseem 66 not out, Alishan Sharafu 55; Matt Henry 2-37, Mitchell Santner 1-23) lost to New Zealand 175 for no loss in 15.2 overs (Tim Seifert 89 not out, Finn Allen 84 not out) by 10 wickets