Barramundis reclaim ODI status with miraculous win

CRICKET PNG general manager Lee McDowell called the PNG Barramundis effort in reclaiming their One Day International (ODI) status at the World Cricket League Division 2 a miracle.
PNG (221/8), who had won only one of their first four games at the tournament in Windhoek, Namibia, needed to not just beat, but thrash, an in-form Oman (76 all out) in their final round robin fixture on Thursday and that’s exactly what they did.
Other results also went the Barras’ way with Canada having had the chance to leapfrog PNG into the top four but to do so they needed to restrict USA to under 212 in their run-chase.
However, in a dramatic finale, USA managed to reach 215-9 and knock their rivals out.
PNG secured their ODI status and a place in ICC Cricket World Cup League 2 by just four runs after a comprehensive (145-run) victory over already-qualified Oman.
Namibia also confirmed their top-four spot by beating Hong Kong by 151 runs as the group stage came to its conclusion.
“That win over Oman was backs to the wall stuff; it was nothing short of a miracle,” McDowell said.
“The boys needed to get the job done in that game against Oman, who were the top team; everything was riding on that result.
“We had a mathematical chance even after losing to USA and Canada during the week and we pulled through.”
Namibia and PNG join Oman, USA, Scotland, Nepal and the UAE in League 2, where they will play 36 ODIs each over a two-and-a-half year period on the road to Cricket World Cup 2023.
Hong Kong and Canada confirming their spots in ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League.
McDowell said the Barramundis had always targeted the tournament after losing their ODI status in 2016. “That was the goal 14 months ago when we lost it (ODI status) in Zimbabwe.”
Oman won the toss and elected to field and that decision looked to be a masterstroke, with the top five Barras batsmen falling for single-figure scores.
The electric Fayyaz Butt (4-46) took four of the first five wickets, including upending the stumps of both Charles Amini Jr (6) and Chad Soper (2). However, Kiplin Doriga (65) and Sese Bau (80) added 129 for the sixth wicket to rescue the innings and fire PNG to 221-8.
Like their opponents, Oman’s top order struggled — with left arm quick Nosaina Pokana at the forefront of the fielding side’s charge.
He took a superb 5 for 10 off his first six overs, including the wickets of Jatinder Singh, Aqib Ilyas and Suraj Kumar for a duck.
There was some brief resistance from captain Khawar Ali (29 not out) and Sandeep Goud (13) but Soper (3-15) took three quick wickets to help finish Oman off for just 76 to claim arguably one of the best wins of the tournament.
PNG completed their great finish to the tournament by winning the third-place playoff against USA on Saturday.
After being steamrolled by USA in a 10-wicket mauling during the round-robin stage, PNG showed they truly earned back their ODI status by exacting revenge on the Americans in a resounding five-wicket victory at Affies Park in the third place match.
Sending USA in at the toss, PNG’s medium pace attack exploited variable bounce.
Pokana and Norman Vanua wrecked USA’s top order with four wickets inside the first eight overs.
Man of the Match Vanua was on a hat-trick after claiming Aaron Jones caught behind for 2 followed by Jaskaran Malhotra dragging onto his stumps for a golden duck on ODI debut.
USA managed to regroup and post 164 but PNG led by a 65 from Lega Siaka and a quick-fire 28 by Vanua, including three sixes, saw the Barras reach the target with 17 overs to spare.