Cricket-Seifert guides New Zealand to consolation win over India in fifth T20I

A relentless onslaught from Tim Seifert helped New Zealand to ​get a consolation seven-wicket win over India ​in the fifth and final Twenty20 ‌international in ​Hamilton on Sunday, as the visitors took the series 3-2. Chasing 192 for victory, New Zealand started slowly and lost opener Finn Allen in the ‌second over, before Seifert grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck.

The 31-year-old clobbered 5 sixes and 11 fours en route to a knock of 93, but was unable to complete a first T20I century after ‌a thick inside edge on a Nitish Kumar Reddy delivery crashed into his leg stump. New Zealand were ‌taken over the finish line by Glenn Phillips, whose knock of 65 not out made him the highest-scoring batter ever in a bilateral T20I series with 341 runs, bettering England player Phil Salt's previous record of 331.

"(Having that) calm and the composure, it's ⁠a nice ​feeling," Phillips said. "When you ⁠go out there with a clear mind and just try to play each ball on its merits and go out there and ⁠try and be a bit more of the hunter and a little less of the prey.

"Spin was going to ​be the type of bowling that needed to be taken down. Obviously we saw the Indian boys ⁠do it to us, and they did it very effectively." The win also put a degree of respect on the series scoreline, after ⁠India ​had won the first three matches to seal the series.

After being put in to bat earlier on Sunday, India were struggling at 19-2 before a 93-run partnership between Shreyas Iyer (50) and Ishan Kishan (61) laid ⁠the foundation for a decent total. Fast bowler Adam Milne was the pick of New Zealand's bowlers, picking up ⁠four wickets, while Nathan ⁠Smith and Blair Tickner had two apiece.

The sides will now turn their focus to one-day international cricket, with Eden Park in Auckland set to host the first ‌ODI of ‌the five-match series on Wednesday.