Feb 17, Kathmandu - In a thrilling encounter at the ICC T20 World Cup, New Zealand secured their spot in the Super 8 stage after defeating Canada by 8 wickets.

Chasing Canada's target of 174 runs, New Zealand reached the total in 15.1 overs with only 2 wickets down. This marks Canada's third consecutive loss in the tournament.

Glenn Phillips was the top performer for Canada, remaining unbeaten on 76 runs, while Rachin Ravindra contributed 59 and Finn Allen added 21. Canadian bowlers Sadi Bin Jafar and Dillon Heyliger took one wicket each.

Earlier, opting to bat first, Canada posted a competitive total of 173 runs for 4 wickets in their 20 overs. Key to their innings was opener Yuvraj Samra, who scored a spectacular century off 65 balls, smashing 11 fours and 6 sixes to reach 110 runs. Captain Dilpreet Bajiwa scored 36, and Navneet Dhalival contributed 10 runs.

For New Zealand, bowlers Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, and James Neesham each claimed one wicket.