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- New Zealand vs Canada Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Phillips, Ravindra star as New Zealand beat Canada by 8 wickets to qualify for Super 8s
New Zealand vs Canada Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Phillips, Ravindra star as New Zealand beat Canada by 8 wickets to qualify for Super 8s
T20 World Cup: Schedule | Points Table
Earlier, Canada’s teenage sensation Yuvraj Samra delivered a historic performance, scoring a brilliant 110 to become the youngest centurion in T20 World Cup history. His 65-ball innings, studded with six sixes and 11 fours, was the backbone of Canada’s 173 for 4. Samra and skipper Dilpreet Bajwa added 116 for the opening wicket — the highest opening partnership by an Associate side against a Full Member in the tournament — putting New Zealand under pressure.
New Zealand’s chase began shakily, losing two early wickets inside four overs. But Ravindra and Phillips quickly seized control. Ravindra anchored the innings with maturity, rotating strike effectively and punishing loose deliveries to bring up a fluent half-century.
Phillips then took centre stage. After a cautious start, he exploded spectacularly, smashing bowlers to all parts of the ground. His 22-ball fifty — New Zealand’s fastest in the competition — featured powerful straight hits, switch-hits and clean strikes over midwicket. He remained unbeaten on 76, while Ravindra finished on 59 not out, as New Zealand surged to victory.
The commanding win took New Zealand to six points and ensured their passage to the next stage. Canada, meanwhile, were left winless despite Samra’s landmark innings, as their bowling failed to defend a strong total against New Zealand’s dominant response.
Matt Henry to Dilpreet Bajwa, Full and straight, attacking the sticks, Dilpreet pats it back to Henry with a straight bat.
- Dilpreet Bajwa 5 (6)
- Yuvraj Samra 8 (6)
Jacob Duffy to Dilpreet Bajwa, On a back of a length, outside off, Bajwa runs it to deep third for a single.
Jacob Duffy to Dilpreet Bajwa, FOUR! Easy pickings! Duffy tries to bring the ball back into the right-hander but the line is too straight. Sprays a length ball on the pads. Bajwa tickles it fine to deep fine leg for a four to get off the mark. It brushed the pads before racing away but it looks like the batter got some bat on it too.
Jacob Duffy to Dilpreet Bajwa, Oh, hello! Duffy goes wide on the crease and keeps the stumps in play. On a good length, Bajwa taps it beside the strip on the leg side and waits for the ball to go past Duffy. Jacob does well to get around and picks the ball up with his right hand. He spots Dilpreet out of the crease and has a shy at the batting end but misses.
Jacob Duffy to Dilpreet Bajwa, Hits the hard length, on off, Dilpreet angles it off the back foot to backward poimt.
Jacob Duffy to Dilpreet Bajwa, Honing in on the off pole, on a length, Bajwa watchfully defends.
Jacob Duffy to Dilpreet Bajwa, A loose waft and Bajwa gets away with it! The ball moves away a touch, on a good length, in the channel. Dilpreet's feet go nowhere and he just pokes away from his body. He is lucky not to nick this one behind.
Jacob Duffy to share the attack.
- Yuvraj Samra 8 (6)
- Dilpreet Bajwa 0 (0)
Matt Henry to Yuvraj Samra, FOUR MORE! Nicely done! Henry pulls the length back and brings the closer to the off pole. Samra stands tall on his toes in the crease and rides the bounce to punch it through covers for back-to-back boundaries. 8 runs off the first over!
Matt Henry to Yuvraj Samra, FOUR! Yuvraj Samra is up and running. Henry bowls it on a length, outside off. Yuvraj backs away and dances down the track. Carves it over cover for the first boundary of the contest.
Matt Henry to Yuvraj Samra, Angled away this time, on a good length. Samra lets the ball come to him and defends it close to his body.
Matt Henry to Yuvraj Samra, Rapped on the pads! A hint of shape back in, on a good length, on middle. Yuvraj is beaten on the flick and gets hit high on the front pad. The LBW shout dies down quickly as that looked high.
Matt Henry to Yuvraj Samra, Across off again but this is on back of a length, Samra stands tall and gets on top of it before punching it to point.
Matt Henry to Yuvraj Samra, Pushed across the left-hander, on a length. Yuvraj Samra stabs it down on the off side off the front foot.
We are done with the pre-match formalities, and it is time for the action to begin. The two umpires make their way out to the middle, followed by Daryl Mitchell and his men. Canada's skipper, Dilpreet Bajwa, walks out to open alongside Yuvraj Samra. Matt Henry will kickstart the proceedings with the new ball. Henry to Samra. A slip in place. Here we go!
We are moments away from the first ball, but before that, the two teams will line up for the national anthems. The match officials lead the way before Daryl Mitchell and Dilpreet Bajwa lead their respective sides out. It will be Canada's national anthem first, followed by that of New Zealand.
PITCH REPORT - Former West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree is near the deck. He shares that the weather is set fair and in terms of the boundary dimensions, there is a disparity square of the wicket, with 60 metres on one side and 73 metres on the other, while the straight hit is 75 metres. Former Kiwi wicket-keeper Katey Martin joins him and says that it is a belter and this is the same wicket that was used for the New Zealand and UAE game. Adds that as it is a morning game, there is some stickiness and some stud marks near the landing area. She reckons there might be something for the bowlers early on, but as the sun bakes the surface, it will become easier for batting. Ends by saying that she expects a lot of runs.
Day game brings a different challenge - New Zealand's skipper for this game, Daryl Mitchell, informs that Mitchell Santner has a stomach bug and hopes that he will be good to go in 24 hours. Mentions that they are excited for Lockie Ferguson, who has gone back home for the birth of his first child. Kyle Jamieson replaces him and Cole McConchie replaces Santner. Believes that the day game serves a different challenge, but they have guys who have a fair bit of experience playing in Chennai, and that should serve them well.
Expects turn later in the day - Canada's captain Dilpreet Bajwa says the expectation of more turn later in the day is one of the reasons behind opting to bat first. Mentions that they have played a night game here but reckons their spinners have more chance in these conditions. Informs that Kaleem Sena has an injury, and Shivam Sharma comes in for him.
Canada (Playing XI) - Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa (C), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (WK), Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma (In for Kaleem Sana), Dilon Heyliger, Jaskarandeep Singh, Ansh Patel.
New Zealand (Playing XI) - Tim Seifert (WK), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell (C), Cole McConchie (In for Mitchell Santner), James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson (In for Lockie Ferguson), Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy.
Canada: Dilpreet Bajwa (c), Ajayveer Hundal, Ansh Patel, Dilon Heyliger, Harsh Thaker, Jaskarandeep Singh, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Ravinderpal Singh, Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Shreyas Movva, Yuvraj Samra.
Pacer Dilon Heyliger highlighted the unique challenges his side faces.
“We live in minus 50 degrees and only have three months a year to play cricket, we train indoors… it’s a bit difficult but this is not an excuse,” he said.
Despite the setbacks, Canada’s spinners have impressed, and they came close to defending a modest total in their previous match before faltering at the death.
Against New Zealand, they will hope to finally translate promise into a historic win, even as their opponents look to reaffirm their status and march into the Super Eights.
Batter Daryl Mitchell admitted the team fell short of its own standards.
“We couldn't quite get that sort of 200 total that we wanted to get to. I think we'll put our hands up and say we weren't as good as we could be with the ball as well,” he said.
The absence of pace spearhead Lockie Ferguson, who has returned home for the birth of his first child, adds another layer of challenge. His likely replacement Kyle Jamieson and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi will be expected to step up and provide control and breakthroughs.
Early wickets in the powerplay have repeatedly put pressure on the middle order, disrupting their ability to dictate terms.
The form of Rachin Ravindra has also become a talking point. Considered a key figure in the top order, Ravindra has shown glimpses of fluency but has failed to convert starts into match-defining innings.
With the Super Eights approaching fast, the team management will be desperate for him to rediscover his touch.
A strong performance against Canada would not only boost Ravindra’s confidence but also stabilise a batting unit that suddenly looks vulnerable against quality bowling attacks.
A win will guarantee the Black Caps a place in the Super Eights, but the manner of their recent loss has raised uncomfortable questions.
Having entered the tournament with confidence after acclimatising to subcontinental conditions and securing convincing wins over Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand suddenly find themselves needing to restore both rhythm and belief.
Against Canada, the focus will not just be on winning, but on doing so convincingly enough to re-establish themselves as genuine title contenders.
Canada’s innings was headlined by 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra, who smashed a magnificent 110 to become the youngest centurion in tournament history. His knock, filled with six sixes and 11 fours, helped Canada post a competitive 173 after a record 116-run opening stand with captain Dilpreet Bajwa. However, the total proved insufficient against New Zealand’s clinical chase.
New Zealand stumbled early, slipping to 30 for 2 after losing Finn Allen and Tim Seifert inside the powerplay. Ravindra steadied the innings with composure and elegant strokeplay, while Phillips initially took his time before launching a brutal assault. The right-hander raced to a 22-ball fifty and finished unbeaten on 76 off just 36 balls, while Ravindra remained 59 not out.
Their partnership ensured New Zealand finished the group stage with six points and secured qualification comfortably. Canada, despite Samra’s historic effort, remained winless and were left to rue an undisciplined bowling display that allowed the game to slip away quickly.
Match Statistics
Venue
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
