ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Papua New Guinea (PNG) Team Preview, Squad, Key Players and Probable Playing XI
Cricket provides some stellar stories during its grand events, and this time, the primal source of all fairytale stories is bound to come from the highly-spirited Papua New Guinea from Africa. The Barramundis are making their debut in a major ICC tournament and had a very inspiring journey to the top stage.
Former Australian greats Andy Bichel and Jason Gillespie have been involved with this unit in coaching capacity. They went a long time without cricket, which has got them rusty during the warm-up games. But there’s something very intricate about this team, as when they start to string performances together, they do it in a canter. They are placed alongside Bangladesh, Scotland and Oman in Group B, and will find it incredibly difficult to make it through to the Super 12s.
But as great men and women of the past say, “One must never say never”. Perhaps they did not stand a chance in the 2019 global qualifiers as well, but when inspiration strikes in this unit, they do punch well above their weights.
Captain: Assad Vala
Head coach: Carl Sandri
Claim to Fame
The side entered the 2019 global qualifiers having lost 8 games on the trot, but ended up winning five out of the six games to book their berth in the 2021 T20 World Cup. This is their first-ever appearance on the global stage of the cricketing world, and they’d be desperate to make their presence felt.
Full PNG squad for T20 World Cup 2021
Assad Vala (capt), Charles Amini, Lega Siaka, Norman Vanua, Nosaina Pokana, Kiplin Doriga (wk), Tony Ura, Hiri Hiri, Gaudi Toka, Sese Bau, Damien Ravu, Kabua Vagi-Morea, Simon Atai, Jason Kila, Chad Soper, Jack Gardner
Strengths
One of the major talking points about this fantastic team is their fielding ability. They are one of the best fielding units in the qualifying stages of the 2021 edition and they will have to be at their best to stand a chance of entering the Super 12.
Also Read: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021: All you need to know about Calum MacLeod, Scotland’s Talisman
Weaknesses
This team relies a bit too heavily on their captain Assad Vala for their runs. While Tony Ura and Sese Bau add some experience, their middle order has lacked the cutting edge in the Qualifying stages, often throwing a lot of burden on the bowlers and top-order batters.
Key PNG Players
Skipper Assad Vala scored a crucial half-century against Sri Lanka in the warm-up fixture.
Assad Vala: The captain of Papua New Guinea Assad Vala, leads by example for the side, chipping in with crucial contributions with the bat and ball. He has picked up 22 wickets in 28 T20Is, besides scoring 516 runs. He tends to stay long to anchor his side’s batting, just the way he did with his 44-ball 51 against Sri Lanka in the warm-up fixture.
Tony Ura: Alongside skipper Vala, a major responsibility of the batting department falls on the shoulders of Tony Ura. He scored 754 runs in his T20I career thus far at a strike-rate over 140, making him their best-suited player for this format. He tends to throw his starts away plenty of times, and needs to stick around for longer periods to help his side reach their dream destiny.
Nosaina Pokana: The 25-year-old left-arm pacer is pretty quick, probably one of the quickest among all the teams in the qualifying stage. He has picked 21 wickets in T20Is at an average under 20 and an economy just under 6, making him a useful prospect for the side.
Probable Papua New Guinea (PNG) Playing XI
S Atai, Tony Ura, Assad Vala (c), Charles Amini, Kiplin Doriga (wk), Sese Bau, Norman Vanua, Jason Kila, Chad Soper, Nosaina Pokana, Damien Ravu