West Indies vs. PNG: The Hosts Dodge a Bullet Against PNG

The co-hosts, West Indies, took on Papua New Guinea in the first match of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Caribbean soil, which was also the second game of the edition overall. Residing in Group C, West Indies successfully completed their first challenge. With one opponent already down, the West Indies have three more important matches lined up, with New Zealand and Afghanistan being particularly formidable. As many say, the first game sets the tone for the rest of the tournament, and fortunately, it was the Men in Maroon’s day against PNG. Join us as we take a deeper look at the events that unfolded in the second game of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Review of the 2024 T20 World Cup Opener.

Toss and Innings Breakdown

After winning the toss, Rovman Powell of the West Indies invited PNG to bat first. The decision was made quite easily; any team would have preferred to bat first in such conditions, as it has been the template in modern T20s. Although the pitch looked a bit green, the Men in Maroon surprisingly went ahead with three spinners and two pacers. After winning the toss, the captain of the home team said, “We are going to bowl. It is a fresh wicket, and our aim is to restrict them and then chase it down. We have a strong team lineup with two all-rounders and three spinners.“

PNG’s captain also looked excited and ready for the West Indies challenge. While talking with the presenter, he said, “We have a good balance with plenty of all-rounders, and despite the rain, we are ready for the tournament.”

First Inning

After being asked to bat first, PNG got off to a shaky start by losing three of their batters in the powerplay, with the score at just 34. What seemed like an okayish batting track turned out to be a slow and tricky pitch, with Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein, and Romario Shepherd dominating the first six overs, each taking one wicket. After the powerplay, PNG went utterly on the back foot and tried to rebuild with Sese Bau taking charge. 

However, PNG lost their fourth man for only 50 runs at the end of nine overs. Charles Amini partnered with Bau and slowly and steadily took PNG to a score of 94 before giving away his wicket to Andre Russell on the last ball of the 15th over. Wickets continued to fall, and PNG was only able to put up a score of 136 runs in 20 overs at the loss of eight wickets. 

Sese Bau and Kiplin Doriga starred with the bat for PNG, as Bau scored a 43-ball fifty, whereas the latter scored an 18-ball 27, taking the score to 136. However, it was a collective effort with the ball from West Indies, as Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, and Motie took one wicket each, while Alzarri Joseph and Andre Russell both took two wickets.

Second Inning

West Indies entered the field with confidence and the support of the home crowd at their backs. With 137 looking like an easy total, PNG was not going down without a fight and took the wicket of the dangerous Johnson Charles on the first ball of the second over, thanks to an excellent delivery from Alei Nao. With PNG feeling like they had a shot at winning on this tricky pitch, Pooran partnered up with Brandon King to hit a 50-plus partnership.

PNG struck with the second blow at the start of the ninth over, leaving West Indies two down for a score of 61. However, 10 balls later, West Indies lost their third wicket with only two more runs added. The captain, Rovman Powell, partnered with Roston Chase to take the score to 85 at the end of the 14th over. However, Powell departed after scoring only 15 off 14 balls, and Sherfane Rutherford also departed subsequently, scoring 2 off 7 balls. Then came Andre Russell to the crease, with 40 runs needed off the last four overs. Roston Chase played brilliantly throughout the chase and, needing 40 off four overs, he didn’t lose his calm and played sensibly. Andre Russell smacked a huge six over mid-wicket on the ultimate ball of the 18th over. At this point, Chase was on 18 off 20 balls and Russell was on 8 off 4 balls. However, they partnered for 31 runs off the next 12 balls, with Chase ending up with a score of 42* off 27 balls and Andre Russell with 15* off 9. West Indies sealed the deal with 5 wickets and six balls remaining to start the World Cup campaign on a high note.

Player of the Match

Roston Chase was adjudged Man of the Match for his all-round brilliance in the second game of the 2024 T20 World Cup. He smashed an unbeaten 42 off 27 balls and, with the ball, he created pressure from the start, giving away nothing to the PNG batters in the middle overs. He returned the figures of 0/26 off four overs.

West Indies and PNG’s Upcoming Games

West Indies:

June 9: West Indies vs Uganda, Guyana (06:00 AM IST)

June 12: West Indies vs New Zealand, Trinidad (06:00 AM IST)

June 17: West Indies vs Afghanistan, St Lucia (06:00 AM IST)

PNG:

June 6: Papua New Guinea vs Uganda, Guyana (05:00 AM IST)

June 13: Afghanistan vs Papua New Guinea, Trinidad (06:00 AM IST)

June 17: New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, Trinidad (08:00 PM IST)

Final Thoughts

It was never going to be an easy game for PNG, but they definitely went above and beyond, making the West Indies sweat for all 234 balls that took place in the game. As for the West Indies, everyone knew how much scrutiny and criticism they had been under. In a tournament as significant as the T20 World Cup, no opposition can be called weak, so they definitely needed a strong start for the 2024 T20 World Cup. PNG has faced one of their toughest challenges, and the good thing is their NRR is not affected badly, which might help them later in the tournament. However, for the West Indies, their upcoming games against New Zealand and Afghanistan are the most important.