Chennai, February 17 Young Canadian opener Yuvraj Samra scored a defiant century, successfully countering the pace of bowlers like Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson, to guide his team to 173 for 4 against New Zealand in a T20 World Cup Group D match here on Tuesday.
Samra scored 110 off 65 balls, while captain Dilpreet Bajwa added 36, creating a 116-run opening stand that kept the Kiwi bowlers at bay.
The 19-year-old Samra's century came off 58 balls, making him the youngest batter to score a century in T20 World Cup history.
Bajwa's dismissal off the last ball of the 14th over provided a brief respite for New Zealand, but the 19-year-old Samra continued to dominate, smashing 11 boundaries and six sixes to control the bowling and achieve his maiden century across formats.
Earlier, Canada won the toss and opted to bat in the Group D match here on Tuesday.
Canada has lost all its matches so far and is at the bottom of the group, while New Zealand, with four points, is second behind South Africa. A win for the Kiwis would bring them level with the Proteas.
Brief scores: Canada 173 for 4 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Samra 110, Dilpreet Bajwa 36; Kyle Jamieson 1/41).