Placed in the so-called Group of Death, New Zealand will be wary of underestimating unfamiliar opposition when they face the United Arab Emirates at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday. The early days of the T20 World Cup have already delivered multiple scares for heavyweights, with former champions Pakistan, India, England and the West Indies all pushed close to the edge.
New Zealand’s caution is further shaped by recent history. The Black Caps suffered a surprise T20I defeat to the UAE in 2023, and several members of the current squad were part of that upset, a reminder that complacency could prove costly.
This will be New Zealand’s second outing of the tournament. After their campaign unravelled against Afghanistan in the previous edition, Mitchell Santner’s side began on a positive note this time around, turning the tables on Afghanistan in their Group D opener earlier this week.
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The UAE, meanwhile, begin their World Cup campaign with hopes of following the template set by teams like Nepal and the Netherlands, who have already punched above their weight. Despite a disappointing warm-up loss to World Cup debutants Italy, the Emirates side will be eager to reset and test themselves against one of the tournament favourites.
With past upsets still fresh in memory and minnows showing renewed belief, New Zealand know they cannot afford any slip-ups at Chepauk.
Squads:
New Zealand Squad: Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway
United Arab Emirates Squad: Aryansh Sharma(w), Muhammad Waseem(c), Muhammad Zohaib, Alishan Sharafu, Harshit Kaushik, Mayank Kumar, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Sohaib Khan, Muhammad Farooq
