Sri Lanka, Feb. 8 -- New Zealand pulled off their highest run chase in T20 World Cup history as they opened their Group D campaign with a five-wicket win over Afghanistan.

Set a tricky 183 in Chennai, the Black Caps recovered from a parlous 14-2 thanks to opener Tim Seifert's 65 off 42 balls.

The Kiwis still had work to do at 155-5 with four overs remaining but Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner upped the ante and Afghanistan's seamers had no answer to their measured aggression.

Mitchell finished unbeaten on 25 off 14 balls while Santner whacked 17 not out off eight as New Zealand won with 13 balls to spare.

Their pursuit of the target eclipsed their previous best World Cup chase of 167 against England in the semi-finals of the 2021 ...