Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa chose to bat first after winning the toss against New Zealand in Chennai on Tuesday morning, backing the conditions to bring their spinners into play later in the day. “Later on, we might get some spin. So it’s good to bat first and give them a target,” Bajwa said, as Canada looked to kickstart a campaign that had opened with two defeats.
New Zealand, meanwhile, arrived one win away from confirming a Super Eight berth but were forced into reshuffling their XI. Regular captain Mitchell Santner was ruled out after falling ill overnight, with stand-in skipper Daryl Mitchell joking that a “dodgy burger” had left Santner indisposed. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson was also unavailable, having flown home for the birth of his first child.
The absences prompted two changes for New Zealand. Cole McConchie was drafted in to cover Santner’s spot, while Kyle Jamieson replaced Ferguson in what Mitchell described as a “like for like” swap. The changes leave New Zealand slightly lighter on experience but still with a batting core built around aggression and power, led at the top by Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, and supported by Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman.
Canada made one alteration to their side, bringing in offspinner Shivam Sharma for left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana. Sharma was the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup qualifying tournament in June, but this match marks his return after not featuring in a T20I for some time. Alongside Saad Bin Zafar and Harsh Thaker, Canada’s spin options will be central to their hopes of squeezing New Zealand in the middle overs.
In Group D, New Zealand have won two of three matches so far and sit behind South Africa on the points table, while Canada are still searching for their first points. With Santner sidelined and Ferguson absent, Canada will see an opening—but they’ll need runs on the board and a disciplined spin effort to make it count.