West Indies pipped PNG by five wickets in a nervy finish on Sunday. (ICC)
Hosts West Indies survived a mighty scare from Papua New Guinea by five wickets in their opening T20 World Cup 2024 Group C game at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
Chasing a 137-run target, PNG had pegged the Windies top-order before Roston Chase and Andre Russell led the team home with only six balls to spare.
Batting first, PNG had struggled to meet the pace of the pitch before Sese Bau’s anchoring half-century propelled the team past the 100-run mark. An unbeaten 18-ball 27 cameo from wicketkeeper Kiplin Doriga eventually took the side to a respectable total.
In a reply that was briefly halted by light rains at the venue, West Indies lost opener Johnson Charles for a first-ball duck before Nicholas Pooran struggled to get off the blocks. While Pooran fell for a run-a-ball 27, Brandon King countered a slew of dot balls with seven fours. PNG struck at the halfway stage, removing the duo to leave Windies stranded at 63 for three.
Walking in at no. 4, Chase held fort at one end and braved a couple of more wickets including skipper Rovman Powell, before thwarting an early upset with a string of late boundaries.
The defeat was Papua New Guinea’s fourth successive loss in T20 World Cup matches, having previously featured in the tournament’s first round in 2021. It was also the first meeting between the sides in T20Is and PNG’s fifth Test-playing opponent. The side has previously won two T20Is against full-member sides, both of which have come against Ireland.
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