Kiwis Bounce Back To Seal Super Eight Spot

CHENNAI: Teenager Yuvraj Singh Samra’s record-breaking century and a stuttering start from their openers rattled New Zealand, but the Black Caps recovered strongly to overpower Canada and seal their Super Eight berth in the ICC T20 World Cup on Tuesday.

The pursuit of 174 seemed a tall order when New Zealand suffered a double blow inside the Powerplay. However, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips steadied the chase with authority before guiding the Kiwis to an eight-wicket win with five overs to spare. Rachin (59 off 39 balls) and Phillips (76 off 36) stitched together an unbroken 146-run stand off 73 deliveries for the third wicket.

It was Phillips’ calculated counterattack that helped the Kiwis break free from the early jitters. He dispatched left-arm wrist spinner Ansh Patel over deep midwicket to bring up his half-century in just 22 balls. A stunning switch-hit off left-arm spinner Saad Zafar that sailed over the deep extra-cover boundary stood out as the highlight of his blitzkrieg.

Earlier, Yuvraj not only lived up to his name but also etched it into the record books. Named after India’s World Cup hero, the 19-year-old Canadian produced a swashbuckling 110 off 65 deliveries, studded with six towering sixes and a flurry of boundaries. He became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 World Cup history and recorded the highest individual score by a player from an Associate nation in the tournament.

Tall, left-handed and a clean striker — traits reminiscent of his illustrious namesake — Yuvraj had been “manifesting this moment” ever since Canada qualified for the World Cup. His father, Baljith Singh, a devoted admirer of allrounder Yuvraj, emigrated to Canada years ago. Born in Brampton, Ontario, Samra grew up on stories of his idol. On Tuesday night, he added one of his own. At the same Chepauk venue in 2011, his hero Yuvraj had struck a World Cup century against the West Indies.

For New Zealand, the troubles had begun even before the first ball was bowled. Captain Mitchell Santner was ruled out with food poisoning and they were already missing premier pacer Lockie Ferguson who is on paternity leave. The right-left opening pair of Dilpreet Bajwa and Samra tore into the New Zealand attack, racing to 50 without loss in the Powerplay. An 18-run over off James Neesham set the tone, highlighted by an audacious inside-out six over deep cover after three consecutive boundaries in the sixth over. Samra was equally ruthless against spin, launching Cole McConchie over deep midwicket with disdain. Canada reached 75 without loss at the halfway mark.