UAE captain Muhammad Waseem has won the toss in Chennai and, without hesitation, decided to put runs on the board in his side’s first World Cup outing since 2022. The decision means Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, who had their pads on during the toss, will watch the opening 20 overs from the dug-out before New Zealand begin their chase.
Mitchell Santner’s team – victorious against Afghanistan on Sunday – see no reason to tinker. The same XI will take the field, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry again sharing new-ball duties on what is expected to be a quicker red-soil surface. Sunday’s game was played on a black-soil pitch that slowed as the match wore on.
UAE’s build-up has been mixed. Middle-order batter Muhammad Zohaib was sent home for what the board called “disciplinary reasons”, and an 81-all-out against Italy in the warm-ups has kept the batting unit under scrutiny. Even so, Waseem pointed to last year’s upset of New Zealand as evidence they can land a blow. “We learnt plenty from that warm-up here in Chennai,” he said. “If we’re sharper with the bat, we give our bowlers something to defend.”
Former Black Caps seamer Kyle Mills expects the surface to suit quicks. “The red soil at Chepauk tends to give a bit more carry early on,” he noted on local radio, “but spinners still get into the game once the ball softens.”
New Zealand coach Gary Stead sounded relaxed about batting second. “Our group enjoys chasing totals – especially when we have Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell in the middle order,” he said.
Teams
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner (capt), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
UAE: Aryansh Sharma (wk), Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Mayank Kumar, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid.
Key points
• Waseem elects to bat first on red-soil surface.
• New Zealand unchanged after win over Afghanistan.
• UAE minus Zohaib after disciplinary issue; batting under the microscope.
• Match played on same ground where UAE were rolled for 81 in warm-ups.
With group points already tight, both captains know a fast start could shape their campaigns. For UAE, simply posting a competitive target would be a statement; for New Zealand, maintaining early momentum is the immediate brief.
