New Zealand will look to tighten their grip on the top spot in Group D when it takes on the United Arab Emirates in a T20 World Cup clash on Tuesday.

The Kiwis opened their campaign with a composed five-wicket win over Afghanistan on Sunday, banking two crucial points, and will now aim to make the most of an encounter against comparatively modest opposition.

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Their victory over the Afghans underlined the depth and experience of New Zealand’s batting line-up. Chasing 183 on a sluggish surface, Mitchell Santner’s side recovered calmly from a precarious 14 for 2, showcasing both adaptability and composure under pressure.

However, New Zealand will be keen to see more substantial contributions from Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra, two key pillars at the top of the order. Both fell to Mujeeb ur Rahman’s guile in the previous match, but against a UAE attack lacking similar quality, the duo will have an opportunity to rediscover their rhythm ahead of the marquee clash against South Africa.

One of the most encouraging takeaways from the Afghanistan game was Glenn Phillips’ measured approach under pressure. Rather than opting for instinctive aggression after early setbacks, Phillips showed maturity by assessing the conditions before accelerating, a trait that bodes well for New Zealand as the tournament progresses.

“Glenn’s world-class,” teammate Lockie Ferguson said after the match. “He’s got plenty of experience in these conditions and has enjoyed success here recently. I’ve got high hopes for him for the rest of the tournament.”

The New Zealand bowlers were equally impressive, using variations cleverly on a surface that offered assistance to keep Afghanistan’s powerful batting unit in check. Yet the Kiwis will be wary of complacency, particularly after associate sides like the USA, Nepal and the Netherlands pushed higher-ranked teams to the brink in recent matches.

The UAE, meanwhile, boast a handful of experienced campaigners capable of causing discomfort. Captain Mohammad Waseem, explosive batter Alishan Sharafu and seasoned pacer Junaid Siddique form the backbone of a side eager to test itself against elite opposition.

Waseem recently reached the 3,000-run mark in T20 internationals in just 84 innings, placing him behind only Virat Kohli and Babar Azam, who achieved the feat in 81 innings.

While the outcome may appear predictable on paper, the UAE will view the contest as a valuable learning experience against a legacy side like New Zealand, an opportunity to measure their progress on the global stage.

Teams (from):

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

UAE: Mohammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Mayank Kumar, Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rohid Khan, Sohaib Khan, Simranjeet Singh.

The match starts at 3:00 pm IST.

(By PTI Inputs)