New Zealand, Zimbabwe reach Super8, Nepal outclass Scotland, Young Samra gets a 100

 

Nepal ended their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a high with a शानदार seven-wicket victory over Scotland in their final group match. After suffering a heartbreaking last-ball defeat against England in their opening game, Nepal finally got their reward with a commanding performance to close the tournament in style.

Fast bowler Sompal Kami and explosive batter Dipendra Singh Airee (50* off 23 balls) played key roles in the victory, as Nepal registered their first win in a T20 World Cup in 12 years.

Scotland, who had already beaten Italy earlier in the tournament, made a strong start after opting to bat first. Opener Michael Jones played a brilliant knock of 71 off just 45 balls, hitting 8 fours and 3 sixes. As long as Jones was at the crease, Scotland looked on course for a 200-plus total. However, his dismissal in the 16th over triggered a collapse. Led by Sompal Kami’s impressive spell of 3/25, Nepal pulled things back and restricted Scotland to 170 in 20 overs.

Nepal also began their chase aggressively. Openers Kushal Bhurtel (43) and Aasif Sheikh (33) raced to 50 within five overs, with Bhurtel smashing three sixes in a single over. But momentum slowed after the powerplay, and wickets began to fall. Spinner Michael Leask (3/30) put Nepal under pressure by reducing them to 98/3 after 13 overs.

Just when the chase seemed to be slipping away, Dipendra Singh Airee turned the game on its head. The batter, who had earlier created history by scoring a world-record half-century off nine balls at the Asian Games, once again showed his class. Airee hit back-to-back sixes off Leask and followed it up with boundaries against Brad Wheal and Brad Currie, bringing up his fifty in just 23 balls.

With only 15 runs needed from the last two overs, Gulshan Jha (24* ) finished the job in style. He struck a six off the first ball of the 19th over and sealed the match with a four in the final over, giving Nepal a memorable win.

This victory marked Nepal’s first T20 World Cup win since 2014, when they had defeated Hong Kong and Afghanistan. With this result, all teams in Group C ended the tournament with at least one win.

Meanwhile , the Zimbabwe vs Ireland match was washed out due to consistent rains at Kandy with both teams sharing points which meant that Australia are now out of this world cup as they wont equal  Zimbabwe on points even if they beat Oman in their last game .  Both Zimbabwe  & Sri Lanka  have now qualified for Super Eights . 

In th other match of the day , led by a fine century by 19 year old Yuvraj Samra , Canada set New Zealand at 173 run target by the Kiwis chased it down in style to reach the super 8s  

Named after Indian legend Yuvraj Singh, Canada’s young sensation Yuvraj Singh Samra showed flashes of his famous namesake with a breathtaking knock against New Zealand on Tuesday. The 19-year-old left-hander, who traces his roots to Punjab, produced a masterclass in strokeplay, smashing a dazzling 110 off just 65 balls, decorated with 11 fours and six towering sixes.

Samra’s sublime innings propelled Canada to a challenging 173 for 4 after choosing to bat first. His partnership with captain Dilpreet Bajwa was the backbone of the innings, as the duo stitched together a fluent 116-run opening stand, giving the North American side a dream platform.

Canada’s confidence grew further when their bowlers struck early, reducing the Black Caps to 30 for 2 with the key wickets of Tim Seifert and Finn Allen. For a brief moment, an upset seemed possible.

However, New Zealand’s experience soon came to the fore. Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra produced a commanding counter-attack, dismantling Canada’s youthful bowling unit with calm authority. Phillips was especially brutal against the spinners, launching them straight and high into the stands, while Ravindra provided elegant support.

Their unbeaten knocks — Phillips’ explosive 76 off 36 balls and Ravindra’s composed 59 off 39 — ensured New Zealand chased down the target comfortably, sealing an eight-wicket victory with 29 balls to spare and marching into the Super Eight stage.

Yet, despite the defeat, the spotlight firmly belonged to Samra. Tall and elegant at the crease, he may lack flashy footwork, but his powerful bat swing and pristine timing more than compensated. He was ruthless on anything loose, especially in the PowerPlay, where he plundered 18 runs in an over from James Neesham, including a sequence of boundaries and a towering six.

Feasting on width, Samra drove magnificently through the covers and reached his hundred in just 58 deliveries, underlining his immense potential. While New Zealand proved too strong on a batting-friendly surface, Samra’s sparkling century stood out as a defining moment — a statement performance from a rising star on the international stage.