T20 World Cup: Captain Assad Vala Reflects on PNG’s Close Defeat to West Indies

Papua New Guinea captain Assad Vala regretted not scoring an extra “15-20 runs” as his team from the East Asia-Pacific region threatened co-hosts West Indies in their T20 World Cup 2024 opener before losing by five wickets. On a two-paced pitch at Guyana’s Providence Stadium, where the ball gripped and pacers were assisted, PNG batted first and scored 136/8, with Sese Bau scoring 50 off 43 balls and Kiplin Doriga smashing 27 off only 18 balls from the lower order. In addition, get ready to stay updated with the latest news and updates from Starpunternews. This will keep you on track and provide you with the most recent cricket information.

PNG Captain Vala Reflects on Loss to West Indies

In the second innings, PNG bowlers kept things tight, limiting West Indies to 63/3 and then 85/4. This not allowing the home batters to score freely. Sherfane Rutherford was the last West Indies batter to fall at the end of the 16th over. Meanwhile, the hosts still need 40 from the last four. West Indies finished the match with six balls left with the help of:

• Roston Chase (42 not out off 27 balls)
• Andre Russell (15 off 9 balls)

Vala said after the game — “We knew we had missed a trick towards the end.”. “An extra 15-20 runs would have been nice. But, given the wickets we lost early on, posting 136 was a good effort.” “Yeah, I’m really happy with how we fought. I took wickets in crucial moments. We are excited about the chance and the challenge. “We want to play our best cricket against the best players.”

Chase on PNG: Respect for Every Team is Key

Chase, the West Indies’ Player of the Match, stated that the team never took PNG lightly. He stated that “We don’t want to take any team lightly, they (PNG) are here which means they are deserving, we want to play the same way we would play India or Australia”.

Speaking after the match, the all-rounder said the key was to be patient on a difficult pitch. “Very pleased to start the tournament with a win and to take the team over the line. I knew that it was hard for the batters coming in, gave myself time and backed my skills. I watched the PNG batters, they took their time and once they got in it was easy to score. I have worked hard, had a preparation camp in Antigua, and brought that confidence into the game.”

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