Chennai, Feb 17 (IANS) After a heart-stopping innings from Canada’s Yuvraj Samra, it was all-rounder Glenn Phillips’ explosive partnership with Rachin Ravindra that ensured New Zealand stormed to a convincing victory to seal their place in the Super Eights, and the all-rounder said that he and Rachin were trying to stick to the process, stay calm and build a partnership after losing early wickets in the powerplay.

Chasing a challenging 174, New Zealand were under early pressure, losing Finn Allen and Tim Seifert in quick succession for just 30 runs. But Phillips and Ravindra steadied the ship with a blistering partnership that put Canada on the back foot.

“I mean, we did get on a bit of a run at the end there, which was fantastic. But honestly, Rach (Rachin) and I were just trying to stick to our processes and take it one ball at a time. 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,” Phillips said after receiving the Player of the Match award.

The duo’s attacking intent was evident from the outset. Phillips explained the approach behind his aggressive strokeplay, saying, “Some days, you just get balls in your zone more often than others, and today was one of those days. For both of us, it was about making good decisions every single ball. That’s all that really mattered. As the partnership developed, the momentum just grew naturally.”

Ravindra, who scored a vital 55 off 38 balls, was lauded by Phillips for his contribution. “He was fantastic. He works incredibly hard on his game, and his T20 cricket has come a long way over the last couple of years. To see him get rewarded for that hard work is brilliant. Having someone like that at the other end makes a big difference,” he said.

The match started with a tense atmosphere in the dugout after Canada struck twice early, but New Zealand’s pair remained composed.

“There was probably a bit of nervous energy early on. We have been in that position a couple of times in the recent past here and the Afghanistan match as well. But we backed our depth and trusted that if we built one solid partnership, we’d be back in the game – and that’s exactly what happened,” Phillips mentioned.

Earlier, Canada had posted a formidable 173/4, with 19-year-old Yuvraj Samra smashing a historic 110 – the first century by a batter from an Associate nation in T20 World Cups. His knock included 11 boundaries and six sixes, forming a record 116-run opening partnership with captain Dilpreet Bajwa.

Phillips admired the youngster’s effort, stating, “Fabulous! He’s a really clean striker of the ball. Got a long future ahead of him.”

–IANS

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