T20 World Cup: NZ face Canada in Super 8 quest
What's the story
New Zealand and Canada will square off in Match 31 of the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup on February 17. The day's opening match will be played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. A victory would secure NZ's place in the Super 8 and eliminate Canada from the tournament. Meanwhile, toppers South Africa have already qualified for the next round from Group D with three wins.
Match details
Pitch report and other details
The match will be played at MA Chidambara Stadium, also known as Chepauk. Dew won't be a factor here due to the day game. However, the moisture might offer pacers some movement early on. Spinners will be in action throughout the match. The game will start at 11:00am IST and will be broadcast live in India on the JioStar Network Channels. Live streaming can be accessed via the JioHotstar app and website.
New Zealand
NZ to miss Lockie Ferguson
According to ESPNcricinfo, New Zealand have faced Canada thrice in international cricket, all during ODI World Cups. Even without Lockie Ferguson, who is out on paternity leave, New Zealand are expected to maintain their unbeaten record against Canada. In Ferguson's absence, seamer Kyle Jamieson is expected to make his T20 World Cup debut. Probable XI: Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (captain), Jimmy Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, and Jacob Duffy.
Canada
Canada eye their first win
Canada fought in phases against the Proteas and the UAE but failed to prevail. Another defeat will knock them out of the tournament. Probable XI: Dilpreet Bajwa (captain), Yuvraj Samra, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wicket-keeper), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Kaleem Sana, and Ansh Patel.
Scenarios
Super 8 qualification scenarios
As mentioned, Group D toppers South Africa have claimed their Super 8 berth in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Both New Zealand and Afghanistan can bag the only remaining Super 8 spot from Group D. While SA are expected to beat the UAE, the Kiwis and Afghanistan are scheduled to play Canada in their final matches. If NZ lose to Canada and the other match's result goes in Afghanistan's favor, the NRR will come into play.
Numbers
A look at key numbers
According to ESPNcricinfo, Mark Chapman played a T20I against Canada in 2013. He was representing Hong Kong back then. Seifert (2,120) is set to surpass Brendon McCullum (2,140) in terms of T20I runs for NZ. The former is one shy of completing 200 T20I fours. Santner is 26 short of reaching 1,000 runs in T20I cricket. Matt Henry is closing in on 50 T20I wickets (currently at 46).