Chennai, February 17 – After a remarkable innings by Canada's Yuvraj Samra, it was the explosive partnership between all-rounder Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra that ensured New Zealand secured a convincing victory, securing their place in the Super Eights. Phillips and Ravindra said they were focused on sticking to their game plan, staying calm, and building a partnership after losing early wickets in the powerplay.
Chasing a challenging target of 174, New Zealand faced early pressure, losing Finn Allen and Tim Seifert for just 30 runs. However, Phillips and Ravindra steadied the innings with a blistering partnership, putting pressure on Canada.
"We managed to get a good score in the end, which was fantastic. But honestly, Rach and I were just trying to stick to our processes and take it one ball at a time. They took a couple of early wickets, which put us under pressure. From there, it was about staying calm and building a partnership. Thankfully, it turned out the way it did," Phillips said after receiving the Player of the Match award.
Phillips explained their aggressive approach, saying, "Sometimes, you get the right kind of balls more often than others, and today was one of those days. For both of us, it was about making good decisions every single ball. That's all that really mattered. As the partnership developed, the momentum just grew naturally."
Ravindra, who scored a vital 55 off 38 balls, was praised by Phillips for his contribution. "He was fantastic. He works incredibly hard on his game, and his T20 cricket has improved significantly in the last couple of years. To see him rewarded for that hard work is brilliant. Having someone like that at the other end makes a big difference," he said.
The match started with a tense atmosphere in the dugout after Canada struck early, but New Zealand's pair remained composed.
"There was probably a bit of nervous energy early on. We have been in that position a couple of times in recent matches, including the Afghanistan match. But we backed our strength and trusted that if we built one solid partnership, we'd be back in the game – and that's exactly what happened," Phillips mentioned.
Earlier, Canada had posted a formidable 173/4, with 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra smashing a historic 110 – the first century by a batter from an Associate nation in the T20 World Cups. His knock included 11 boundaries and six sixes, forming a record 116-run opening partnership with captain Dilpreet Bajwa.
Phillips admired Samra's effort, stating, "Fabulous! He's a really clean striker of the ball. He has a long future ahead of him."
