Samoa win Men’s T20 WC East Asia-Pacific sub regional qualifier A

Apia, Aug 26 (IANS) Samoa won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub Regional Qualifier A after beating Vanuatu by eight runs at the Garden Ovals. The victory also means Samoa has booked their place in next year’s combined East Asia Pacific/Asia Qualifier.

Earlier, a narrow nine-run victory for Fiji over the previously top-ranked Cook Islands opened the door for Samoa to get a win over Vanuatu and they eventually did it to claim the competition.

Samoa now join PNG in the EAP/Asia Qualifier, with the final spot from the region determined at next month’s Sub Regional Qualifier B event in South Korea.

“To be honest it’s still sinking in, the opportunity to represent Samoa and our families is a massive honour. I’m really proud of the boys and their performances over the course of the tournament.”

“It’s a massive moment in Samoa’s cricketing history and hopefully it inspires the next generation of cricketers across the South Pacific. The ability for the team to just keep finding a way to win and stay in the fight, full credit to them,” said captain Caleb Jasmat.

Electing to bowl first, the Cook Islands reduced Fiji to a modest 135/9 in their 20 overs, with captain Peni Volavola (45), Kau Qola (26) and Peniseni Kotoisuva (28 not out) making the biggest contributions with the bat. Cory Dickson was the pick of the Cook Islands’ bowlers with figures of 3-21 in his four overs.

Cook Islands had batted second in each of their previous games throughout the week, with impressive results. On this occasion, their top order fell cheaply at the hands of Joeli Moala, the seamer claiming four of the top five batters with three wickets and one run-out.

Aue Parima (57) had threatened to derail Fiji’s onslaught, but he fell in the 17th over, much to Cook Islands dismay. With ten runs needed from the final over to win the Qualifier, the brilliant Moala returned to scupper the Cook Islands effort, bowling a maiden to get Fiji over the line.

Knowing a win would be enough, Samoa won the toss and elected to bat first. Openers Sean Cotter (51) and Darren Roche (21) got runs at the top of the order for Samoa, but economical bowling by Vanuatu and a tight fielding performance got them back. It needed a late onslaught by the lower order for Samoa to post 145/8 from their 20 overs.

Vanuatu stayed on par with the run rate for most of the early period, but lost wickets at regular intervals. Clement Tommy chipped in with 31, and Bettan Viraliliu made 39. But a combination of expert fielding and the introduction of Saumani Tiai changed the course of the match.

With two wickets in his first three overs including the all-important scalp of Viraliliu, Tiai was tasked with bowling the final over for Samoa defending 13 runs for victory. Three singles preceded two catches in the deep as Samoa held on to claim a memorable triumph and a spot in the next round.

“Ending an incredible week on such a high note with a thrilling home-team victory truly caps off a spectacular festival of cricket in Samoa. It’s been fantastic to witness the fierce competitiveness and standout performances across all teams and for it all to come down to the final day’s play was fitting.

“This triumph is a clear testament to the ongoing growth and strength of cricket in the Pacific. Congratulations to Samoa Cricket for being such outstanding hosts and now, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup EAP Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘A’ champions in their own right,” said Tournament Director, Emily O’Brien.

The 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will feature 20 teams, with 12 automatic qualifiers and eight teams coming through regional qualifying pathway events. Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, defending champions India, South Africa, the West Indies and the USA are automatic qualifiers.

Sri Lanka also qualify automatically as hosts with Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan completing the lineup by virtue of being the three next highest-ranked teams on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings table on June 30, 2024.

Sub regional qualifiers will be held across other ICC regions throughout 2024, with their respective regional finals also being held in 2025 to determine the final lineup of teams who will compete at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.

–IANS

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