Yuvraj Samra's half-century powers Canada past the Bahamas in T20 World Cup qualifier

Winnipeg Free Press

18-06-2025

KING CITY – Teenage opening batsman Yuvraj Samra put on a show Wednesday as Canada made short work of the Bahamas, winning by 10 wickets in a rain-shorted game at the Americas Qualifier for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
Samra scored 50 not out off just 15 balls with Canada finishing at 54 with no outs in just 4.3 overs. Named player of the match, the 18-year-old reached Canada's victory total with his fifth sixth of the inning.
Samra's impressive knock erased the Canadian record for fastest T20 half-century set earlier in the week by Harsh Thaker, who scored 50 in 16 balls against the Cayman Islands.
'He's in really good form,' Canada captain Nicholas Kirton said of Samra. 'Obviously he's a special talent.'
Rain restricted the teams to 11 overs each, with the Bahamas finishing at 52 for seven.
Samra opened the Canadian innings with a six and added another off the first ball of the second over. The teenager should have been removed the next ball but a Bahamian fielder fumbled the catch at the boundary.
Samra continued his batting onslaught in the third over, hitting six, four, six and one off the first four balls. He hit eight boundaries in total, including three fours.
Fellow opener Aaron Johnson finished on four runs.
Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands are competing in an eight-day double round-robin format that will see the group winner advance to next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Canada made its T20 World Cup debut last year, failing to advance out of the group stage after beating No. 11 Ireland and losing to No. 8 Pakistan and co-host U.S., ranked 17th. A match against No. 1 India was abandoned due to inclement weather.
Canada won the toss and elected to field Wednesday at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground.
The Bahamas were at 34 for three after six overs when the umpires halted play due to rain. Staff covered the pitch with a tarp and waited.
Play resumed after a break of two hours 10 minutes, with the teams each given 11 overs, down from the originally allotted 20 overs.
Back at bat, the Bahamas lost three wickets in rapid succession.
Festus Benn was removed in the first over back, lbw off a Kirton delivery with the Bahamas at 39 for four. Eugene Duff was stumped and Julio Jemison run out, leaving the Bahamas at 40 for six.
Captain Gregory Taylor was the first Bahamian batsman dismissed on the day, caught for one run with the Bahamas at 16 for one. Fellow opener Marc Taylor departed four runs later, bowled for nine runs.
No. 4 batsman Kervon Hinds slammed three successive fours off Thaker before being caught behind for 12 runs off a Shivam Sharma delivery with the Bahamas at 33 for three with two balls remaining in the fifth over.
Canada had earlier defeated both Bermuda, by 110 runs Sunday, and the Cayman Islands, by 59 runs Monday.
Canada faces the Cayman Islands on Thursday, Bahamas on Saturday and Bermuda next Sunday.
The Cayman Islands and Bahamas were recently promoted from the Subregional Qualifier.
Canada is ranked 19th in T20 play by the International Cricket Council, compared to No. 27 for Bermuda, No. 41 for the Cayman Islands and No. 52 for the Bahamas.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025