PNG’s highest-ever T20I partnership propelled them to an 81-run victory over Namibia as they joined Netherlands at the top of Group A of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier.
Tony Ura (71) and PNG captain Assad Vala (48) put on 125 runs for the first wicket to form the backbone of the victory, despite the brilliance of Jan Frylinck (three for 18) and Christi Viljoen (two for 37) with the ball.
In the end, PNG finished on 197 for seven after their 20 overs and their opponents slipped to 46 for four in the chase, Nosaina Pokana’s new-ball pressure leading to wickets shared all-round.
At 80 for four, Namibia lost three wickets for no runs as Vala’s three for 19 ended any hopes of a comeback.
In Group B, Oman hit the top of the table as they breezed past Hong Kong by seven wickets.
It was the spin bowling combination of Aamir Kaleem (three for 14) and Khawar Ali (three for 24) which enabled Oman to restrict Hong Kong to 102 all out from 20 overs – a target they knocked off for the loss of three wickets in 17.3 overs.
Elsewhere in the same group, Canada got their campaign underway with a 53-run win over Jersey as Nitish Kumar hit a brilliant 36-ball 83.
Singapore also maintained a 100 per cent record in Group A with their five-wicket win over Bermuda, Navin Param’s 72 not out guiding them to their target of 150 with three balls to spare.
PNG overwhelm Namibia by 81 runs
PNG hit their biggest partnership in T20Is as Tony Ura (71) and Assad Vala (48) set the platform for a big win over Namibia.
Their 125-run opening stand knocked the stuffing out of their opponents and set PNG on the way to posting 197 for seven from their 20 overs, Jan Frylinck (three for 18) and Christi Viljoen (two for 37) claiming the main scalps for Namibia.
The chase never got going, Viljoen top scoring with 17, as Namibia slipped to 46 for four before Vala (three for 19) ripped the heart out of the rest of the middle order with his three wickets, Namibia eventually ending on 117 all out from 17.1 overs.
PNG captain Assad Vala said: “We got a good start and put some pressure on them, we would have loved to get more and we thought 160-170 was a really good score but we managed to get 190.
“We knew what they did to us in the warm-up game so we never thought 190 was that much, so we had to bowl well. I thought we got our lengths right and put them under some pressure with early wickets.
“The morale is really good at the moment but we’ve got a really big game against Scotland tomorrow and we have to be on top of our game but the boys are raring to go.”
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus said: “Sometimes if batsmen get in, there’s very little you can do but damage control. All in all it was not a good start and that carried through, I thought we bowled the wrong lengths and just as the batsmen need to own up, so do the bowlers.
“I don’t think any of the game plans are wrong, our batsmen know what to do but a bad day’s cricket you can’t put down to something like that [being too aggressive].
“We’ve played a certain way and we probably need to reassess a little bit but going forward the tournament is still long and there is plenty of time for the batsmen to score big.”
Canada breeze past Jersey by 53 runs
Canada batsman Nitish Kumar’s sublime 36-ball 83, which included four fours and six sixes, set his side on the way to a total of 176 for five which proved too much for Jersey.
Kumar was joined by captain Navneet Dhaliwal (36) and Nicholas Kirton (21) as Jersey struggled to contain their opponents but for Charles Perchard’s two for 21 and Julius Sumerauer’s two for 38.
Despite the best efforts of Jonty Jenner and his 32-ball 56, the pace of Jeremy Gordon (three for 14) and Dillon Heyliger (three for 20) put paid to Jersey’s chances as they succumbed to 123 all out from 17 overs.
Canada captain Navneet Dhaliwal said: “I think we haven’t played our best game yet, especially in the powerplay where I think we lack a bit of intent.
“Credit goes to Nitish [Kumar], he played really well and the way he controlled the innings in the middle order was outstanding, he’s one of our best batsmen and fielders so a lot depends on him.
“Our main focus is on the game with Nigeria tomorrow, we’re able to score 200 but we need to work on that and come positive in the next match.”
Jersey captain Charles Perchard said: “We’re very disappointed, I thought Canada played pretty well and we weren’t quite at our best – a couple of dropped catches set us back a little bit.
“We thought 177 was a chaseable target but a couple of early wickets dented our momentum a touch and Canada’s seamers were exceptional.
“We’ve got a huge fixture against Hong Kong now which is must win for us if we’re to progress and we’ve got a rest day now before we hit them with everything we’ve got.”
Singapore pip Bermuda by five wickets
Singapore edged past Bermuda for their second win of the competition, chasing down their target of 150 to win with three balls to spare thanks to an unbeaten maiden T20I half-century for Navin Param, his 72 not out coming from 41 balls.
Param was joined by Manpreet Singh (26) as Singapore recovered from being 41 for four – Malachi Jones, George O’Brien, Janeiro Tucker and Rodney Trott taking a wicket apiece to dent, but ultimately not destroy, the Singaporean chase.
Bermuda were earlier guided to a score of 149 for seven from 20 overs by Janeiro Tucker (50 not out) as well as Terryn Fray’s 29, Janak Prakash taking three for 44 for Singapore.
Singapore player of the match Navin Param said: “It was a good win and we accomplished something quite formidable.
“Just before this tournament we had a tri-nation series with Nepal and Zimbabwe and playing such high-pressure games and winning against Zimbabwe was fantastic, so we’ve been playing a lot of cricket which has made us prepared.”
Bermuda captain Dion Stovell said: “It’s a hard pill to swallow, I feel the boys have a lot of talent and potential.
“We fought hard and played hard and it was a hard loss. We’re going back to the drawing board.
“We’ll go home, rest up and come again tomorrow. I think this team is not too far away from winning.”
Oman ease past Hong Kong by seven wickets
Oman made it two wins from two as Aamir Kaleem (three for 14) and Khawar Ali (three for 24) ripped through Hong Kong to skittle them for 102 all out in their 20 overs, a target they reached comfortably in the end.
The spin duo were joined in the wickets by Fayyaz Butt (two for 16) as only Nizakat Khan offered any real resistance with the bat with his 31 at the top of the order.
With Oman at 46 for three in response, the door was slightly ajar for a Hong Kong comeback but the partnership of Aqib Ilyas (37 not out) and captain Zeeshan Maqsood (24 not out) stood firm to take them to their target with 17.3 overs down.
Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood said: “It’s a pretty good win for us against Hong Kong. Our bowlers bowled brilliantly, they didn’t give any room for their batters to score runs.
“We have to keep our skills going and Ireland next are a good team but we have to play our normal cricket that we are playing, we don’t have to be over-excited and we have to keep our things right to win the game.”
Hong Kong captain Aizaz Khan said: “There was not enough runs on the board, we wanted to score around 140-150 but I think their spinners bowled really well in the middle and we just didn’t have an answer.
“The fielding and bowling was good, we had a good energy in the field but there was just not enough runs on the board.
“One of our top four should have been batting throughout so hopefully that’ll be the case next game.”
Scores in brief:
PNG beat Namibia by 81 runs, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai
PNG 197-7, 20 overs (Tony Ura 71, Assad Vala 48; Jan Frylinck 3-18, Christi Viljoen 2-37)
Namibia 116 all out, 17.1 overs (Christi Viljoen 17, Nikolaas Davin 15; Assad Vala 3-19, Norman Vanua 1-5)
Canada beat Jersey by 53 runs, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi
Canada 176-5, 20 overs (Nitish Kumar 83, Navneet Dhaliwal 36, Nicholas Kirton 21; Charles Perchard 2-21, Julius Sumerauer 2-38)
Jersey 123 all out, 17 overs (Jonty Jenner 56, Benjamin Ward 14; Jeremy Gordon 3-14, Dillon Heyliger 3-20)
Singapore beat Bermuda by five wickets, ICC Academy Ground No 2, Dubai
Bermuda 149-7, 20 overs (Janeiro Tucker 50 not out, Terryn Fray 29; Janak Prakash 3-44)
Singapore 152-5, 19.3 overs (Navin Param 72 not out, Manpreet Singh 26; Janeiro Tucker 1-16, Dion Stovell 1-17)
Oman beat Hong Kong by seven wickets, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Hong Kong 102 all out, 20 overs (Nizakat Khan 31, Waqas Barkat 19; Aamir Kaleem 3-14, Khawar Ali 3-24, Fayyaz Butt 2-16)
Oman 106-3, 17.3 overs (Aqib Ilyas 37 not out, Zeeshan Maqsood 24 not out, Jatinder Singh 23; Kinchit Shah 1-18, Waqas Barkat 1-24)
© ICC Business Corporation FZ LLC 2018
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