Sun, 13 Mar 2011 - New Zealand vs Canada, World Cup 2011, 30th match Group A - Bulletin

NZ beat Canada to qualify for knockout stages

New Zealand have booked a spot in quarter finals after it beat Canada by 97 runs in the group A game played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Canada never looked threatening to chase down a mammoth target of 359 runs against the steady Kiwi bowling line up which was more disciplined than menacing.

Only piece of substantial resistance from Canadian batting effort was from their captain Ashish Bagai and Jimmy Hansra, who combined together for 4th wicket to score 125 runs.

After rocked back early by double strike from Kyle Mills who left the field while bowling his third over due to an injury, Canada showed by fight with young opener Hiral Patel scoring 35-ball 31.

Once he was gone, Hansra joined his skipper at the crease and played some sensible cricket with Bagai looking more assured and aggressive of the two.

Bagai’s innings of 84 off 87 runs punctuated with ten fours gave something for Kiwi bowlers to think as they couldn’t breakthrough in the middle overs while Hansra who suffered cramps after Bagai’s dismissal retired hurt only came back to score undefeated 70 off 105 balls.

Easy New Zealand win was, however, set up by Brendon McCullum’s century and solid contributions from the middle order that powered New Zealand to post a mammoth total of 358 against clueless Canada bowling unit.

McCullum scored his century nearly run a ball while all middle order batsmen barring Jesse Ryder stroked their innings with a strike rate more than hundred runs per ball.

After put into bat, Kiwi batsmen took the attack to Canadian bowlers and made them to toil hard in the field piling up runs at an utmost ease.

There were only two failures in the batting with Martin Guptil and Nathan Mcullum scoring only 17 and 10 runs respectively but rest of the batsmen made most of the weak bowling line up of Canada.

Senior McCullum was in a terrific form from the word go using his feet to both spinners and medium fast bowlers on his way to a 109-ball 101 and combined with Ryder (38 runs off 56 balls) for 3rd wicket to put 94 runs before both went quickly. He hit twelve fours and two sixes during his stay at the crease.

Ross Taylor picked up his innings from where he had left against Pakistan peppering the stands at the will. He hit five sixes including four of one Baidwan over in which he scored 28 runs and half a dozen boundaries in his 74 that came off 44 balls.

Kane Williamson, Scott Styris and James Franklin went berserk in the end overs and motoring their team to a big total.

Scott Styris took 20 balls for his 35 before being brilliantly caught in the deep by John Davison while Williamson scored his 34 off 27 runs.

Franklin hit some lusty blows in his 8-ball 31 that included three sixes and two boundaries.

John Davison was the most economical bowler giving away just 30 runs in a high scoring innings from his ten and took a wicket but Baidwan was the most successful bowlers taking three wickets

Once Bagai was gone, there was no fight from the Canada with wickets falling in a cluster. Jacob Oram was the most successful bowler for Kiwis taking three wickets and gave away only 47 runs in his ten.

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