Chennai, February 17 – A blistering half-century from Glenn Phillips and a composed innings from Rachin Ravindra propelled New Zealand into the Super Eights with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Canada at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday.
Chasing 174, New Zealand recovered from a shaky start at 30/2 to complete the chase in just 15.1 overs, finishing with nearly five overs to spare and emphatically bouncing back from their defeat to South Africa.
Earlier, Canada had produced a remarkable batting effort, posting 173/4, thanks to a sensational 110 from 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra. Samra's 58-ball century, the first by a player from an Associate nation in the T20 World Cup history, accounted for 63.6% of Canada's total, placing him among the elite in terms of individual contributions in the tournament's history.
Supported by captain Dilpreet Bajwa's 36, Samra guided Canada to a competitive total despite late strikes from Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson.
New Zealand's reply began explosively as Finn Allen struck 21 off eight balls, but Canada quickly responded. Saad Bin Zafar dismissed Tim Seifert with a wicket-maiden before Dilon Heyliger dismissed Allen, leaving the Black Caps at 30/2 within four overs.
From there, the momentum decisively shifted. Ravindra, who had been under pressure for runs, blended caution with powerful hitting to anchor the chase.
He found boundaries off Dilpreet Bajwa and Jaskaran Singh to stabilize the innings, while Phillips launched a brutal counterattack. The right-hander smashed a 22-ball fifty, New Zealand's fastest in the T20 World Cups, dismantling the spin attack with towering sixes, including a switch-hit maximum off Saad Bin Zafar.
The pair added a match-winning 100-plus stand, reducing the required run rate to under four runs per over by the 13th over. Phillips' 76 off 36 balls featured audacious strokeplay and raw power, while Ravindra brought up his half-century with a slog-swept six over deep mid-wicket.
Canada's bowlers struggled to contain the onslaught, with dropped catches and inconsistent line and length compounding their woes. Jaskaran Singh returned for the 16th over, but Ravindra sealed the victory in style, pulling a slower ball to the deep mid-wicket fence.
After Samra's heroics had lit up the first innings, it was New Zealand's middle order that delivered the final statement, a clinical chase that not only secured two points but also placed them among the top six teams in the Super Eights after West Indies, South Africa, India, England, and Sri Lanka.
Brief Scores: Canada 173/4 in 20 overs (Yuvraj Samra 110, Dilpreet Bajwa 36; Jacob Duffy 1-25, Matt Henry 1-28) lost to New Zealand 176/2 in 15.1 overs (Glenn Phillips 76, Rachin Ravindra 59; Saad Bin Zafar 1-29, Dilon Heyliger 1-42) by eight wickets.