PNG successfully defended the regional title it won in 2011, after going through this year's tournament undefeated. In a hard fought 38-run win, the side posted 159 for six before dismissing Vanuatu for 121 in the final over to claim its second consecutive victory.
After electing to bat, PNG lost an early wicket, bringing Charles Amini to the crease. Amini top scored for PNG with 51 off 30 deliveries. His departure was followed by the loss of three quick wickets, before PNG scored some quick runs in the final over to finish with 159 for 6. Vanuatu's Kenny Tari took two wickets for 26 runs.
Vanuatu opener Jonathon Dunn was dropped in the opening over, and Trevor Langa added some boundaries, but Vanuatu lost regular wickets. Norman Vanua and Pipi Raho each claimed three wickets, and Vanuatu was dismissed in the penultimate over for 121. PNG's Charles Amini was named Man of the Match
This is the second successive time that PNG has qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. After winning the regional event in 2011, PNG was propelled to the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012, where it lost to Nepal on the last ball in the seventh-place play-off match.
The Pepsi ICC East Asia-Pacific Men's Championship 2013 was the first of five regional qualifying tournaments that form part of the qualification process for next year's ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh.
PNG will be joined in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013 by eight other teams from the remaining four regional qualifying tournaments, which will be staged over the next five months at various venues around the globe.
These nine regional qualifiers, together with the UAE, which has qualified automatically as the host country, will be joined by the six top teams from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012 - Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Namibia, Netherlands and Scotland - to make up the 16-team competition.
The top six finishers will advance to the ICC World Twenty20 2014 in Bangladesh, where they will lock horns with the 10 Full Member teams.
Forthcoming regional qualifying tournaments
Shortly after the completion of the East Asia-Pacific event, Uganda will host the Pepsi ICC Africa Division 1 Championship, and the USA will host Pepsi ICC Americas Division 1 in March.
In April, Nepal will host 10 teams for the ACC Men's T20, while, in July, England will host Pepsi ICC Europe Division 1, in which 12 teams will battle for the final two positions available in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment