United Arab Emirates National Cricket Team vs New Zealand National Cricket Team Match: United Arab Emirates won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand in the 11th match of Group D at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. The game marks the UAE’s first fixture of the tournament, while New Zealand are playing their second group match after opening their campaign against Afghanistan.
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem said the decision was based on the pitch conditions. “We are going to bat first because the pitch is looking good, it will be the same for both the innings, Inshallah we will try to put a good total on the board. (about the team combination) It is a difficult for us, but we are going with a good combination of spinners and fast bowlers, so it will work for us. We also want to show the world the way we are playing T20 and the abilities the boys have, they are good in T20 and we will play excellent cricket here. It is a tough group but we are ready for that challenge. We have come here with a different mindset and plan, we will go game by game and today we will go with this game, we will think about the upcoming games. The confidence is good, but different venue and different tournament, so I will try my best and try to lead the team from the front,” Waseem said after winning the toss.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner said his team would have opted to bat as well. “ It looks like a good wicket, we were thinking of batting as well. Same team, similar make up as the other day. That was the first day I've seen grass on the pitch. It was like, that's maxed off. This is a real source. So usually, you play it, so it's a little more bounce. But, again, it looks like pretty good looking today. I think these days, you have to watch a lot of video. I mean, there's, you know, obviously, a bit of franchise stuff these days, and, you know, you can find footage from anywhere. So, again, we only had a day between games. So yesterday was, I guess, that was up for us. Looking at some stuff and listening to some players. They are (a good team). I think they're a good team, as we know. And again, you know, I know they're a lot of good players, but I think you look at this squad in general, it looks pretty good. The conditions, like you said, slightly softer. It can be tricky,” he said.
New Zealand vs United Arab Emirates Playing XIs
United Arab Emirates (Playing XI): Aryansh Sharma(w), Muhammad Waseem(c), Alishan Sharafu, Mayank Kumar, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid Khan
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner(c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy
