Canada defeated the Netherlands by four wickets but failed to stop the Dutch from qualifying for the semi-final of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier from Group B at Stormont in Belfast, Ireland on Saturday.

Canada achieved the 98-run target in 19.3 overs but it allowed the Netherlands, who defeated Kenya in the tournament opener by 19 runs, to maintain a positive net run-rate which will come into play if Kenya beats Canada on Sunday afternoon.

Kenya needs to beat Canada roughly by 12 runs or with nine balls to spare to secure a place in the last four though the exact calculations will only be made after the first innings of the match which starts at 1300 (local time).

Canada bowled accurately and fielded sharply to bowl the Netherlands out for 97 in 19.3 overs after the European side won the toss and elected to bat first. Fast bowler Harvir Baidwan, later named man of the match, bowled intelligently to grab 4-19 while Henry Osinde took 2-21.

Canada almost made a mess of its chase when is slumped from 58-1 to 82-5 before it eased to victory in 19.3 overs with four wickets to spare.

Sunil Dhaniram (26) and Geoffrey Barnett (21) batted well while John Davison (19) and Abdool Samad (18) made useful contributions in the overall context of the match.