The United Arab Emirates won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in the 11th game of the 2026 World Cup in Chennai.
New Zealand had already crossed the first hurdle by beating Afghanistan at the same venue in a group that also features 2024 finalist South Africa and Canada.
“It’s a tough group but we are ready for that challenge,” UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem said at the toss.
On the eve of its opening game, UAE sent batter Muhammad Zohaib back home for what it called disciplinary reasons on Monday and the Emirates Cricket Board said it will provide more details “in due course.”
New Zealand made no changes and captain Mitchell Santner said he hoped the red-soiled wicket will have some bounce to suit his three fast bowlers.
Earlier at New Delhi, Bas de Leede’s all-round show earned the Netherlands a seven-wicket win over Namibia in Group A.
Lineups:
UAE: Aryansh Sharma, Muhammad Waseem (captain), Alishan Sharafu, Mayank Kumar, Sohaib Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Arfan, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid.
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner (captain), Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy.
- Agencies
