Image Credit- ICC
The batters for Papua New Guinea, who played Uganda on Wednesday, were unable to acclimatise to the Providence Stadium surface, according to captain Assad Vala. In the end, it was a low-scoring match that saw PNG lose for the second time at the T20 World Cup 2024 after being bowled out for 77, their lowest total in Twenty20 Internationals.
Only two other PNG players scored in double digits, with Hiri Hiri’s 15 being the highest. First, they were destroyed by Uganda’s fast bowlers, and then their batting was taken over by the spinners. After falling for a duck in the opening over, Vala thought their innings had too many soft dismissals.
“Because it was a new wicket, we didn’t have a target set,” Vala said. “We said to give ourselves a few overs then see how we go from there. As the game progressed, I think we didn’t do that. I think the batters that played today really let ourselves down. We didn’t do as we planned.
“We had a lot of soft dismissals. I think anything just over 100 was a good score on that wicket. It was a challenging wicket to bat on. They bowled really well but a lot of soft dismissals from us put them on top. They never gave us any chance to get back into the game. So, credit to them as well.”
Nonetheless, Vala praised his bowlers for bringing Uganda down to 6 for 3 in the third over. They fell to 26 for 5 as well, but a 35-run partnership between Riazat Ali Shah and Juma Miyagi turned around the Ugandan innings. Fielder Charles Amini wasted an easy chance on 8 to give Riazat some luck in his important 33. PNG let off two dropped chances in their defence of a tiny target.
“I thought that the effort from the bowlers really brought us back into the game,” Vala said. “There weren’t enough runs on the board for them to defend. We started really well with three early wickets.
“You need everything to go your way in a small total. We created the opportunities at the same time. When we need to take those chances, I don’t know what to say anymore. It is a disappointing effort from us.”