Yuvraj Samra Leads Canada to Victory in Americas T20 Qualifier

Yuvraj Samra's unbeaten 50 off just 15 deliveries led Canada to a 10-wicket victory over the Bahamas in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier match.

Opening the batting, Samra launched Canada’s chase with a six and never looked back. His explosive knock, featuring five sixes and three fours, shattered the national record for the fastest T20 half-century, previously held by Harsh Thaker, who made 50 off 16 balls earlier in the tournament.

"He's in really good form," said Canadian skipper Nicholas Kirton. "Obviously, he's a special talent."

Set a revised target of 53 in 11 overs after a rain delay of over two hours, Canada chased down the total in just 4.3 overs without losing a wicket. Fellow opener Aaron Johnson remained on four not out.

The Bahamas, who were 34 for three when rain interrupted play at Maple Leaf Cricket Ground, returned to post 52 for seven in their shortened innings. Kervon Hinds offered brief resistance with 12 runs, including three consecutive boundaries, but the batting order collapsed following the restart. Festus Benn was trapped lbw by Kirton, Eugene Duff was stumped, and Julio Jemison was run out in quick succession.

Canada, ranked 19th in T20 cricket, remains unbeaten in the regional final, having defeated Bermuda by 110 runs and the Cayman Islands by 59. They next face Cayman on Thursday, followed by Bahamas on Saturday and Bermuda on Sunday.

Speaking to the Royal Gazette, Bermuda coach Cal Waldron said: “We didn’t execute our game plan against Canada. They gave us a higher total to chase than we wanted, and we were unable to chase it down to come out with a favourable result. We went back to the drawing board, looked at the good and the bad from the game against Canada."

Bermuda must win their remaining matches to keep their qualification hopes alive for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.