Chennai : New Zealand booked their place in the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with an eight-wicket win over Canada in Group D on Tuesday, a result that also eliminated Afghanistan from the tournament.
Half-centuries from Glenn Phillips (76 not out) and Rachin Ravindra (59 not out) powered New Zealand to 174-2 with 4.5 overs to spare, sealing their third win in four matches.
Group leaders South Africa had already progressed to the Super Eights after winning their first three games.
“Rachin and I were just trying to stick to our processes and take it one ball at a time,” said Phillips, who struck six sixes in his 36-ball innings to earn player-of-the-match honours.
“They picked up a couple of early wickets, which put us on the back foot slightly. From there, it was about staying calm and building a partnership. Thankfully, it ended up the way it did.”
Earlier, Canada opener Yuvraj Samra produced a dazzling 110 off 65 balls to lift his side to 173-4 after electing to bat at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The 19-year-old, named after India great Yuvraj Singh, hammered 11 fours and six sixes in the highest individual score of the tournament so far.
Samra shared a 116-run opening stand with captain Dilpreet Bajwa (36), denying New Zealand a breakthrough for 13 overs. He reached his half-century in 36 balls and brought up his hundred off 58 deliveries with a boundary off Kyle Jamieson before eventually falling in the final over, with Phillips taking his third catch of the match.
New Zealand were jolted early in reply, losing Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, but Phillips and Ravindra combined for an unbroken 146-run partnership at a rapid scoring rate to guide their side home comfortably.
Daryl Mitchell captained New Zealand in the absence of regular skipper Mitchell Santner, who missed the match due to illness
