Canada clinches 1st-ever berth to T20 cricket World Cup with win over Bermuda

Canada's men's cricket team is headed to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup for the first time ever after defeating Bermuda by 39 runs Saturday in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Canada won the toss and elected to bat first at the National Sports Centre. Each team was restricted to 18 overs, down from 20, due to the delayed start and weather conditions.

The Canadian batsmen finished strongly with Nicholas Kirton sparking a 20-run final over for a total of 132 runs for four wickets. Opener Navneet Dhaliwal led Canada with 45 runs.

Bermuda's batsmen had no answer for Kaleem Sana's accuracy and Jeremy Gordon's pace, all out for 93 in the 17th over. Both bowlers took three wickets with Bermuda's lower order crumbling from 85 for five to 93 all out.

The Canadians failed to qualify for the eight previous editions of the T20 World Cup, which has expanded to 20 teams in 2024 when it will be co-hosted by the West Indies and United States.

Canada, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Panama were competing in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Region Final, a double round-robin format, for a berth in the 2024 T20 World Cup.