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LAHORE: Canada’s young star Yuvraj Samra made history with a brilliant century in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Group D match in Chennai.
After captain Dilpreet Bajwa chose to bat first, he and the 19-year-old Samra gave Canada a strong start. The pair added 116 runs for the first wicket, with Samra scoring 77 of those. Canada reached 50 by the end of the powerplay and crossed 100 in 12.4 overs without losing a wicket.
However, Bajwa was out in the 14th over for 36 off 39 balls. The middle order could not provide enough support, leaving Samra to carry the innings. He brought up his century in just 58 balls the first T20I hundred of his career. Canada finished on 173/4, a total that did not look big enough on a good batting pitch.
New Zealand chased the target comfortably, reaching it in just 15.1 overs. Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra both scored half-centuries. Phillips was particularly aggressive, reaching his fifty in only 22 balls and helping his team cruise into the Super Eights.
Despite the loss, it was a memorable night for Samra. He became the first associate nation player to score a men’s T20 World Cup century; the youngest player to score a hundred in the tournament; the first batsman to score a T20 World Cup century against New Zealand and the fourth-youngest player to score a century in men’s T20 cricket.
