Kiwis through to last eight
New Zealand's in-form Ross Taylor and opener Brendon McCullum blitzed
Canada on Sunday, helping to fire the Black Caps into the World Cup
quarter-finals with a thumping 97-run win in Mumbai.
New Zealand scored a mammoth 358 for 6 in their 50 overs and it
proved too much for the minnows, who never looked remotely like
challenging the target and ended on 261-9 after their 50 overs.
Canada were in a perilous position at 4-2 before captain Ashish Bagai
(84) and Jimmy Hansra (70 not out) came together to put on 125 for the
fourth wicket and give the scoreboard a look of respectability.
Veteran John Davison was dismissed in bizarre fashion, run out by a
direct hit from wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum as he ambled a single
when he was in no danger.
Kyle Mills did the early damage for the Black Caps, dismissing
Ruvindu Gunasekera and Zubin Surkari with just four runs on the board
but he had to leave the field injured midway through his third over.
Jacob Oram took 3-47.
Earlier, stand-in skipper Taylor came to the crease at the Wankhede
Stadium in the 30th over with his side on 149-2 after a steady start and
injected urgency into the innings.
In one devastating over Taylor, who smashed 131 in 124 balls against
Pakistan, took 28 off Harvir Baidwan, smashing four sixes and a four.
He was caught by Hansra off the bowling of Balaji Rao for 74 off just
44 balls, including five sixes and six fours.
Brendon McCullum was the mainstay of the innings, scoring 101 in 109
balls as New Zealand had few problems with the toothless Canada attack.
Kane Williamson (34 not out) and Scott Styris (35) also joined in the
onslaught, as the Canadian bowlers wilted, before a stunning cameo of 31
from James Franklin off just eight balls including three sixes and two
fours.
New Zealand lashed 31 off the final over. The pick of the bowlers for
Canada was Davison, whose 10 overs of spin yielded 1-30 but they were
ragged in the field, dropping catches amid the New Zealand onslaught.
Mumbai, AFP |