Tim Seifert: New Zealand’s Firecracker Behind the Stumps
Tim Seifert, born December 14, 1994, in Whanganui, has always played cricket like he means it. He’s a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman who doesn’t hold back, especially in the short formats. At 31, Seifert isn’t just another name in New Zealand’s white-ball teams—he’s the guy who swings the momentum with his bat and keeps things tidy behind the stumps. He’s a regular for Northern Districts back home, but you’ll also spot him in T20 leagues all over the world, smashing sixes and adjusting to whatever comes his way.
Seifert’s story starts early. He was already making waves in the 2014 ICC Under-19 World Cup for New Zealand. Not long after, in the 2014/15 season, he debuted for Northern Districts and never looked back. He’s been a fixture ever since—no format left untouched. The 2017–18 Super Smash really put him on the map: he blasted the fastest hundred in New Zealand’s domestic T20 history, reaching three figures in just 40 balls. That season, he also topped the run charts in the Plunket Shield, scoring 703 runs in nine games.
His franchise journey? Pretty much everywhere. Seifert joined the Trinbago Knight Riders for the CPL in 2020 and made his presence felt. IPL teams came calling too—Kolkata Knight Riders picked him up in 2020, though he didn’t get a game, while Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru handed him a few appearances in 2021 and 2022. The runs didn’t pile up in the IPL, but in other leagues, he delivered. Sussex in England, several stints in the Lanka Premier League (where he led the run charts in 2024), and a record-equalling century for Saint Lucia Kings in the 2025 CPL—125 not out from just 53 balls. He’s also played in Australia’s Big Bash and Pakistan’s PSL.
On the international stage, Seifert made his T20I debut against England in early 2018, showing flashes of what he could do. A year later, he played his first ODI against Sri Lanka. While his ODI chances have been limited, he’s slotted in as a key T20I wicketkeeper, stepping up whenever New Zealand needed him—like filling in for Devon Conway in 2024 against Australia. He’s played in World Cups, toured the UAE and England, and kept the scoreboard ticking with cameos and the occasional big knock. His best T20I score? An unbeaten 97. He’s been consistent, especially against heavyweights like England, Australia, and South Africa in 2025. His most recent T20I came in October 2025, where he finished 23 not out from just 11 balls. In ODIs, his top score sits at 26, but T20 cricket is really his stage.
Seifert owns the record for the fastest T20 century by a New Zealander (40 balls) and matched the CPL record for fastest ton in 2025. He led the 2024 LPL in runs, has 12 T20I fifties, and reached as high as 7th in the ICC T20I batting rankings. In franchise T20s, he’s piled up more than 2,200 runs at a strike rate north of 130. One memorable—and tough—moment: testing positive for COVID-19 in May 2021, which kept him stuck in India at the end of the IPL.
Here’s where he stands, numbers-wise, as of January 2026:
ODIs: 4 matches, 59 runs, average 19.67, best 26, 10 catches, 1 stumping.
T20Is: 77 matches, 1,850 runs, average 29.84, best 97, 39 catches, 10 stumpings. First-Class: 69 matches, 3,693 runs, average 32.39, best 167, 179 catches, 16 stumpings.
List A: 71 matches, 1,860 runs, average 29.52, best 109*, 93 catches, 12 stumpings.
T20s (all): 304 matches, average 25.77, strike rate 130+.
IPL: 3 matches, 26 runs.
Off the field, not much is out there about Seifert—he keeps a low profile. Teammates just call him “Seifert.” Since his early days, people have compared his batting to some of the game’s best hitters. He’s got that knack for changing a game in a handful of overs, which makes him a hot commodity in T20 leagues worldwide. The way he bounced back from his COVID-19 setback says a lot about his grit. With steady contracts and a reputation for explosive batting, Seifert is still one of New Zealand’s go-to guys in the shorter formats.