Co-hosts West Indies began their quest for a third Men’s T20 World Cup title with a five-wicket victory over a spirited Papua New Guinea in Guyana.
West Indies, who won in Sri Lanka in 2012 and India in 2016, restricted Papua New Guinea to 136-8 in Providence but collapsed from 61-1 in the ninth over to 97-5 in the 16th over as the qualifiers threatened to pull off an upset.
However, Roston Chase (42 off 27 balls) and Andre Russell (15 off 9 balls) combined for 40 off 18 balls as the home team won the Group C match with one over to spare.
Rovman Powell’s West Indies followed co-hosts USA’s lead in winning their first match of the tournament when Aaron Jones scored 94 not out off 40 balls, including 10 sixes, to beat Canada by seven wickets in the opening match in Dallas.
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Aaron Jones was brilliant on his T20 World Cup debut for the USA, in a seven-wicket win over Canada in the tournament’s opener in Dallas.
The West Indies have underperformed in the past two T20 World Cups, losing in the Super 12 in the United Arab Emirates in 2021 and failing to get past the first round in Australia in 2022.
But they will be expected to perform well this year having won the last three bilateral T20I series under Powell’s guidance, against South Africa, India and England in December.
Chase is a star fielder and batting player for the West Indies.
West Indies’ seamer Romario Shepherd and left-arm spinner Akeel Hosin got the better of Tony Ullah (2) and Rega Siaka (1) respectively to reduce Papua New Guinea to 7-2 in 2.1 overs.
Papua New Guinea’s top scorer was Sese Bau (50 off 43) who hit six fours and one six to record his country’s second fifty in a T20 World Cup, following captain Asad Vala’s 56 against Oman in Papua New Guinea’s debut tournament in the UAE three years ago.
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Coach Alzarri Joseph was frustrated by the ball hitting the stumps without any movement during the West Indies’ T20 World Cup clash with Papua New Guinea.
West Indies seamers Russell and Alzarri Joseph picked up two wickets each, with Joseph removing Valla (21) with a superb diving catch from Chase at backward point.
Opener Johnson Charles was out for a golden duck in the chase and West Indies would have been 8 for 2 after the second over if PNG had adjudged Nicholas Pooran LBW just before the 20-minute rain interruption.
Pooran (27) and Brandon King (34) put on 53 for West Indies’ second wicket and although Pooran’s dismissal caused uncertainty at 4-36, a blast of boundaries in the chase, including two fours and a six from Vara in the 18th over, prevented a shock result.
“PNG are not a top class team but they deserve to be here. We aren’t underestimating anyone. We treated them like India and Australia but we may have lacked a bit of concentration early on,” Chase said after the match.
What’s next?
Papua New Guinea They take on Uganda and Guyana on Thursday (12:30am in the UK and Ireland), West Indies They will face Uganda at the same venue on Sunday, June 9 (1:30am).
Monday’s T20 World Cup matches Namibia vs Oman Barbados (1.30am), followed by Sri Lanka v South Africa (3.30pm) in Nassau, New York.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Live
Monday, June 3, 1 AM
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Live
Tuesday, June 4th, 3pm
England be against Scotland Tuesday (1st ball at 3:30 p.m.) in Barbados Ireland They will take on India in New York on Wednesday (also at 3:30 pm).
You can watch every match of the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports from now until the 29th.
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