T20 WC: ‘To Be Honest, It Was A Fairly Flat Wicket,’ Says Santner After NZ Demolish UAE By 10-wicket

T20 World Cup: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised the United Arab Emirates’ batting effort and highlighted smart execution as the key to his side’s 10-wicket victory in their clash in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the

By IANS News
Feb 10, 2026 • 08:02 PM

T20 WC: ‘To be honest, it was a fairly flat wicket,’ says Santner after NZ demolish UAE by 10-wicket (Image Source: IANS)

T20 World Cup: New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner praised the United Arab Emirates’ batting effort and highlighted smart execution as the key to his side’s 10-wicket victory in their clash in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday.

Tim Seifert and Finn Allen produced a world record opening partnership of 175 runs as New Zealand thrashed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by 10 wickets in a Group C match.

The openers from New Zealand took the flimsy bowling of their UAE counterparts apart and won convincingly to make it two out of two at Chennai for New Zealand, while the UAE were left without a win and frustrated.

“Credit to the UAE - they batted pretty well. They adjusted to the conditions quickly and put up a competitive score. To be honest, it was a fairly flat wicket,” Santner said after the match.

“Yes, I did mention at the toss that we might have looked to bat first. Once we understood the conditions, it was clear that the wicket was better than the one we played on the other day. The opposition played some good shots and used the pace well. Once we started bowling a bit fuller and mixing our pace, things improved. I thought the seamers were outstanding at the death,” he said.

Santner also highlighted the strategic use of ground size. He praised the opening partnership for balancing power and rotation.

“With a bigger side of the ground in play, it felt like the right option at the time. Rachin bowled extremely well as well -- there was a little bit there for him. The plan was to use the bigger boundary smartly, especially since one side was quite short. It was the same idea with the bat -- target the short side when it’s on, but also be happy running hard to the longer boundary. That balance was important.”

Seifert and Allen batted with an intensity that was impossible to stop right from the beginning. New Zealand sped through the Power-play, scoring 78 runs in six overs, ruthlessly putting the UAE's fast bowlers to the sword. Overs of 20 and 22 runs were soul-destroying and eliminated any chance that the UAE had of getting back into the contest.

Both openers reached their half-centuries in no time at all, and the first 100-run partnership occurred quickly, as the ball continued to sail over the boundary time after time after time. Finn Allen was the more “subdued” of the two batters as he finished his innings with 84 runs from 50 balls, while Tim Seifert was a bull in a china shop, scoring 89 runs from only 42 balls.

“It’s always nice to watch when the top-order bats like that. They struck the ball really well but also chose their options smartly - hitting straight, taking on the short side when available, and rotating strike to the big side. When they get going together, it makes things very comfortable for us.”