Chennai, Feb 10 (NationPress) Tim Seifert and Finn Allen achieved a remarkable feat with a record-breaking opening partnership of 175 runs as New Zealand dominated the United Arab Emirates with a 10-wicket victory in a Group C clash held at the MA Chidamabaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

The Kiwi openers dismantled the fragile bowling attack of the UAE, securing their second consecutive win in Chennai, while the UAE faced another disappointing defeat without a victory.

The UAE captain, Mohammed Waseem, opted to bat after winning the toss on a pitch that offered good bounce. However, the innings got off to a shaky start when Aryansh Sharma fell for just 12 runs after misplaying a quick delivery from Jacob Duffy, leaving the score at 12/1.

Despite the initial setback, the New Zealand pace bowlers struggled to make an impact as the UAE forged a solid second-wicket partnership of 107 runs off just 77 balls. Both Waseem and Sharafu contributed half-centuries, with Sharafu reaching his fifty first, followed closely by Waseem who notched up his 29th T20I half-century.

The UAE concluded their innings at 173/6 in 20 overs, marking their highest T20 World Cup score ever recorded.

Seifert and Allen's aggressive batting style was relentless from the outset. New Zealand raced through the Powerplay, amassing 78 runs in the first six overs, mercilessly punishing the UAE bowlers. Overs of 20 and 22 runs crushed any hopes the UAE had of staging a comeback.

Both openers quickly reached their half-centuries, with the initial 100-run partnership forming at a rapid pace, as the ball repeatedly cleared the boundary. Finn Allen, though slightly more reserved, finished with 84 runs from 50 balls, while Tim Seifert played an exuberant innings, scoring 89 runs from just 42 balls.

Key Statistics from the New Zealand vs UAE Match:

107: The partnership between Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu set a record for the first century stand for an Associate team against full members in the T20 World Cup, surpassing the previous record of 98 runs between Mohammad Nabi and Samiullah Shinwari against Zimbabwe in Nagpur in 2016.

173-6: UAE's total is now the highest for an Associate team against New Zealand in T20 internationals, surpassing Scotland's score of 157/8 in Edinburgh in 2022.

175/0: The partnership of 175 runs for the first wicket between Tim Seifert and Finn Allen is the highest partnership for any wicket in T20 World Cup history.

15: This match marked the 15th half-century for Tim Seifert (89*) in 83 matches, and his second fifty against the UAE in four encounters.

7: Finn Allen's (84*) innings was his seventh fifty in 55 matches.

7: This match also noted the seventh instance of a team winning by 10 wickets in T20 World Cup history.