New Zealand trounced Canada despite a spectacular century by Yuvraj Samra in their Group D match and with it booked their place in the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup at Afghanistan’s expense on Tuesday.
Glenn Phillips (76) and Rachin Ravindra (59) clobbered unbeat half-centuries as New Zealand eased to a target of 174 with 4.5 overs to spare for their third win out of four.
Pool leaders South Africa had already progressed to the super eight from the group with a hat-trick of wins.
“Rachin and I were just trying to focus on our processes and take it one ball at a time,” said Phillips, who blazed his way to 36 from 19 balls, slamming six sixes in the process, and was named man of the match.
“They got a couple of early wickets, that set us back a little. Then it was about keeping my nerve and forming a partnership. Thank God it turned out the way it did.”
Samra, who was named in honor of India great Yuvraj Singh, had earlier clobbered 110 from just 65 balls to help Canada set a challenging target of 173-4 after they batted first.
The 19-year-old was like-a-house-on-fire at the MA Chidambaram Stadium scoring 11 fours and six sixes on his way to registering the highest individual score of the ongoing tournament.
Samra added 116 with his captain Dilpreet Bajwa (36) in an opening stand and the pair gave New Zealand no joy in the first 13 overs.
Samra roared to a fifty off 36 balls and never hit the brakes even when he lost Bajwa.
Navneet Dhaliwal and Nicholas Kirton also fell cheaply but Samra seemed unconcerned by the loss of partners or the New Zealand attack.
The left-hander completed a 58-ball century with a four off Kyle Jamieson before removing his helmet and soaking up the applause from the grandstands.
Samra’s splendid innings was brought to an end in the last over of the innings when Phillips grabbed his third catch of the match.
New Zealand were rocked early in their chase when both openers – Tim Seifert and Finn Allen – departed, but Phillips and Ravindra hit at close to two a ball during their unbroken 146-run partnership that secured an ultimately comfortable win.
New Zealand skipper Daryl Mitchell captained in the absence of regular captain Mitchell Santner, who sat out due to ill health.