Param Veers Sports Complex, Ground 2 (Canada won toss): Canada beat Bermuda by eight wickets

Bermuda were bowled out for 60 runs to suffer a crushing defeat by Canada yesterday at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup Americas Qualifier in Rydal, Georgia.

Luke Horan, Isaiah O’Brien and Callum McIntosh – each with 13 runs – were the highest contributors in Bermuda’s under-par effort, which lasted only 16.5 overs.

Canada seam bowler Jagmandeep Paul followed up the six for seven he took against Argentina on Sunday with three for seven, which was good enough for him named as player of the match.

Canada, led by an unbeaten 35 from opener Aryan Sidhu, barely broke sweat in chasing their target in 4.5 overs to win with 271 ball to spare.

Bermuda, coming off a 204-run defeat at the hands of the United States, got off to a disastrous start when Callum MacFarlane was bowled for a two-ball duck by Dhruv Beniwal in the first over.

Horan and O’Brien tried to steady the innings with a 21-run partnership, the best stand for Clay Smith’s side in the innings. Once that combination was broken when O’Brien departed in the fourth over, it became one-way traffic, with the Canada bowlers on top of the situation.

Paul mopped up the tail after Krishh Misra, Beniwal and Danistor Dominic had done much of the damage with the ball.

Boasting a powerful batting order shored up by the presence of Yuvraj Samra, who has been capped 22 times at senior level, Canada were never going to face any hurdles chasing such a low total.

Horan did get Samra and Dharm Patel in each of the two overs he bowled, but Sidhu’s 13-ball effort, containing four fours and three sixes, got the Canadians over the line in no time.

Bermuda are right back in action against tournament favourites United States today, when defeat would eliminate them from contention for the lone place to the World Cup.