Papua New Guinea (PNG) is ready to play in their second T20 World Cup. They qualified for the tournament by winning the East Asia-Pacific regional championship in 2023. PNG comes into the tournament with several T20I matches under their belt. They won the Hong Kong Men’s T20I Series 2023/24, tied series against Malaysia and Nepal, but lost to Oman.
The team will be led by experienced batting all-rounder Assad Vala. Their first match is against West Indies on Sunday in Guyana.
Let’s take a look at five PNG players to watch in the T20 World Cup 2024:
1. Kabua Morea
Left-arm medium bowler Kabua Morea has taken 32 wickets in 19 T20 international matches, with his best performance being 5 wickets for 9 runs. He has an excellent average of 14.90, which is impressive in T20 cricket.
In his last T20 World Cup appearance, Morea was the best bowler, taking six wickets in three games with an economy rate of 7.50.
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2. Charles Amini
In the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, the left-handed batter and useful spinner from Papua New Guinea will be crucial. He is currently third in batting with 994 runs and second in bowling with 47 wickets for his team in T20 matches.
Earlier this year in March, Amini played a brilliant innings scoring an unbeaten 91 runs from 53 balls against Malaysia. He also took 3 wickets for 18 runs, helping PNG win by 77 runs. It will be exciting to see if his skills and experience can lead the team to success in the tournament.
3. Assad Vala
The most important player on this team, Assad Vala, has been consistent with his batting and is also a useful bowler. He has scored 1,244 runs (the second highest) and taken 34 wickets (the third most) for PNG in 59 T20Is.
In the last T20 World Cup in 2021, Vala was Uganda’s top scorer with 80 runs in three matches, with a strike rate of 126.98. His highest score was 56 runs off 43 balls against Oman. With his experience and strong performances, Vala will be a key player for the PNG team.
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4. Sese Bau
Sese Bau is a versatile cricketer who bats in the middle order and also bowls spin. He has scored 891 runs and taken 14 wickets in 52 T20 international matches. During the T20 World Cup in 2021, he made 44 runs from three matches.
In a recent series in Hong Kong, Bau played a crucial role in Papua New Guinea’s victory. He scored 82 runs and took four wickets, showcasing his skills both with the bat and ball.
5. Tony Ura
Tony Ura has scored the most runs for the Papua New Guinea team in T20 international matches, with 1,618 runs in 55 innings. He strikes the ball at an impressive rate of 156.02 runs per 100 balls. His highest score of 107 not out off 60 balls was achieved against Phillippines in 2019.
In the Hong Kong Men’s T20I Series 2023/24, Ura performed exceptionally well. He scored 125 runs in three innings, averaging 62.50 runs per innings. He was the top scorer in the tournament. In the final match against Nepal, he scored 61 runs off 37 balls, showing his ability to handle pressure situations.
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