ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, 31st match NZ vs Canada 17th Feb - Page 3

Canada have won the toss and have opted to bat

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell(c), Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy

Canada (Playing XI): Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa(c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva(w), Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskaran Singh, Ansh Patel

Daryl Mitchell | New Zealand stand-in captain: Mitch (Santner) had a bit of a dodgy burger last night and he's not feeling too great today, so hopefully he's good to go in 24 hours. Yeah, look, firstly excited for Lockie to have his first baby and he'll be back soon, but Kyle Jamieson comes in for him, so it's a like for like replacement, which is good. Cole (McConchie) comes in for Santner as well, so again it’s a very similar role. He’ll be excited to get the opportunity. (adjusting to day games) It brings different challenges. A number of us have played quite a few games here in Chennai over the last few years, so we understand the conditions. We’ll assess the surface quickly and adapt as the game unfolds.

Dilpreet Bajwa: We’ll bat first. It looks like a good surface to start on, and later in the game there might be some assistance for the spinners. So it’s better to put runs on the board and defend a target. I mean we have a couple of night games and this day game is good for us. I think it will help us as well with our spinners. Yes, one change. Kaleem Sana is out due to injury, and Shivam Sharma comes in.

Pitch Report | Samuel Badree and Katey Martin:

Talking about the ground dimensions, across to my right, it's the bigger side, it's 73m, across to my left 60m, straight back over the bowler's head it's 75m. Well, firstly, it’s all about the colour of the soil. This is a red-soil surface, which generally means good carry and bounce - a belter for the batters. New Zealand have already played the UAE on this wicket, so they know it well. There is a bit of stickiness in those footmarks early on, so the first few overs might offer something for the New Zealand bowlers. But as the sun comes out and the surface dries, it should only get better for batting. One man who absolutely loves these conditions is Tim Seifert. His ability to clear the ropes, particularly straight down the ground and through the line, makes him perfectly suited to a surface like this. If it keeps getting better through the day, he’s the kind of player who can really cash in. He’s been striking them beautifully and is right up there on the runs charts. And what a move it’s been from New Zealand bringing him into the side. But don’t forget the other man who thrives on run-scoring opportunities - Finn Allen. When he gets going, he can dismantle an attack inside the powerplay. If this pitch plays the way we expect, we could be in for plenty of fireworks.

Canada have won the ton and opted to bat

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Tim Seifert(w), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell(c), Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy

Canada (Playing XI): Yuvraj Samra, Dilpreet Bajwa(c), Navneet Dhaliwal, Harsh Thaker, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva(w), Saad Bin Zafar, Shivam Sharma, Dilon Heyliger, Jaskaran Singh, Ansh Patel

Dom: "Interested who repaces Lockie while he's on paternity leave. I think it'd be wise to give Sodhi a game incase we need a second spinner later in the tournament, particularly with bracewell out." - They're playing Cole McConchie in place of Santner (and Jamieson in place of Ferguson). Maybe they wanted a like-for-like allrounder replacement, but McConchie is likely to slot back out to when Santner recovers. Sodhi could've been useful to test, but the Chepauk pitch has not offered too much spin in this tournament so far. So, they might have erred on the side of conditions by not playing the specialist spinner.

First runs to Canada--Matt Henry to Yuvraj Samra, FOUR, well!

Four

Yuvraj Samra and Dilpreet Bajwa are at the crease. Yuvraj Samra is on strike. Matt Henry will open the attack

The two teams and the match officials line-up for the national anthem. First it is Canada's followed by New Zealand's. And we are done. New Zealand players gather around in a huddle. They won't mind bowling first because it is the same pitch on which they played UAE and the openers - Seifert and Allen - made a mockery of the chase. But how big a miss will Santner be? We shall find out. The players are out in the middle. Henry has the new ball and is at top of run-up. One slip in place. We are ready to roll..

CAN

(11/20 ov) 81/0

NZ

Canada chose to bat.

CRR: 7.36

• Last 5 ov (RR): 31/0 (6.20)

Live Forecast: CAN 156

Good start, they haven’t lost wickets. NZ also has been good with their bowling, keeping it down as much as possible.

Over highlights (1-6)

- Samra gets going with back-to-back boundaries

- Bajwa gets off the mark with a boundary too

- Both the openers see off Henry and Duffy

- Jamieson begins with a tidy 6-run over

- Samra vs Neesham - 0, 0, 4, 4, 4, 6

- 50 up for Canada on the final ball of the powerplay

Over highlights (7-13)

- McConchie begins with a frugal 5-run over

- Samra hits McConchie for a six in his 2nd over

- Neesham sneaks in a tidy 2-run over

- Duffy returns for a bowl and only concedes 2 runs in his 3rd over

- Samra hits McConchie for back-to-back maximums

- The duo of Samra and Bajwa raise a 100-run opening stand