PNG win U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup Division 2 qualifier; inch closer to main event qualification

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Papua New Guinea (PNG) emerged victorious in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup East Asia-Pacific Division 2 Qualifier after beating Indonesia in the final and inch closer to qualifying for the main event, to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2026.

Both PNG and Indonesia topped the standings after a competitive week of round-robin fixtures. The two took to the field at the Garden Ovals in Apia knowing a win would take them through to the East Asia-Pacific Qualifier event.

Indonesia won the toss and elected to bowl in the final matchup, but their bowlers were thwarted by a brilliant 131-run opening stand between Dauncey Tom and Frank Collin Naime. When Naime eventually fell for 48, Tom followed soon afterwards – removed for 70 off 79 balls.

The Indonesian bowling attack showed plenty of promise earlier in the competition, but any hope of a resurgence after removing both openers fell flat, as the PNG middle order re-asserted their dominance thanks to Vagi Morea (45 off 43 balls), and an explosive innings from Lekwa Henao Nao (69 off 48 balls).

Aided by some big hits from Rarua Dikana Junior, PNG eventually reached 330/7 in their 50 overs. Chasing a big target for victory, Indonesia suffered early setbacks at the hands of seamer Ware Robin, as he removed captain Teguh Pranatha and Erianto Mangopo on successive balls of the third over.

Brief respite followed as the Indonesian batters attempted to rebuild their innings, but were undone again in a flurry of wickets as Wallace Nou and Vagi Morea combined to reduce them to 56/6 by the 25th over. PNG continued to build pressure, and with Robin returning to the attack alongside captain Gaba Frank, Indonesia eventually fell, all out for 98 in the 49th over to seal a 232-run win.

The win in the final capped an unbeaten week for the talented young PNG team, where they now progress to compete alongside Japan and Fiji at next year’s East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, scheduled to be held in Japan in April, where the winning nation will book their place at the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2026.

“It means a lot, we’ve trained hard for this, and it’s been seven months of training for this tournament. I think back home, all of our families in PNG will be proud of us. We’re excited right now, as we were throughout this week, and now with the future matches against Japan and Fiji, we hope to bring the regional title back to PNG and enjoy each game along the way,” said PNG captain Gaba Frank.

Opener Dauncey Tom secured Player of the Match prize for his impressive 70, and he was also named the Player of the Tournament and the Batter of the Tournament with a total of 130 runs at an average of 43.30.

Curran Kendrick of Vanuatu was awarded Bowler of the Tournament for his ten wickets at an average of 11.90, which included the competition’s best bowling figures of five for 28 against Indonesia.

“It was wonderful to see the improvement of all four teams throughout the week. I’d like to thank Samoa Cricket for their incredible hospitality for all teams and match officials throughout the week. Congratulations to Papua New Guinea, who were clearly deserving winners, and I wish them all the best for the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup EAP Qualifier in Japan next year,” said Toby Cohen, Acting ICC Regional Development Manager for East Asia-Pacific.

–IANS

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