New Zealand edge past spirited USA in T20 World Cup 2026 warm-up

NAVI MUMBAI: Matt Henry's five-wicket haul helped New Zealand successfully defend a 209-run target and beat the United States of America (USA) by seven runs in the warm-up match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 here at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy on Thursday.

Put into bat first, the Blackcaps racked up a formidable total of 208/7 on the board in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of opener Tim Seifert's blistering half-century.

Seifert top-scored for New Zealand with a quickfire 66 off 31 deliveries, studded with 10 fours and two sixes.

His efforts were backed by the middle-order duo of Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell, who made brisk 40 and 32, respectively.

For the USA, Saurabh Netravalkar bagged two wickets for 37 runs in his four overs, while Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin and Shubham Ranjane bagged one apiece.

Set to chase a daunting 208-run target, Saiteja Mukkamalla's fifty, coupled with swashbuckling cameos from Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane, challenged New Zealand's bowling attack but eventually proved to be insufficient to stun the former finalists as USA finished at 201/8.

Mukkamalla remained the top-scorer for the associate nation with a 31-ball 50, laced with four fours and two sixes, followed by Kumar, who made a 26-ball 43, while Ranjane contributed with 41 off 23 deliveries.

Henry spearheaded New Zealand's bowling charge with a five-wicket haul, returning figures of 5/32 in his four overs. He was supported by leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, who bagged two wickets, while Jacob Duffy chipped in with one scalp.