Barras beat Nepal by 86 runs claim T20 tri-series

By PATRICIA KEAMO
THE Papua New Guinea Barramundis clinched the Hong Kong Twenty-20 (T20) international tri-series last night with a stunning 86-run victory over Nepal in the final fixture.
PNG posted 171/8 thanks to eventual player of the match Tony Ura who hammered 61 runs off 37 balls. The veteran opener’s innings included five fours and four sixes.
Armed with a good total, the Barramundis restricted the Rhinos to just 85 runs and took the final wicket in the 16th over.
The result was a pleasing one for PNG considering they lost the series opener to Nepal on Tuesday by 85 runs.
Apart from Ura’s fireworks the other notable contribution to the Barras’ total was by bowler Alei Nao whose 30 came off just 10 balls and included four boundaries and three fence clearers.
Youngster Hila Vare also scored 18 off 21 balls to help coach Tatenda Taibu’s side get to a total that would be too steep for the Nepalese to scale. Following their loss to Nepal, Taibu had highlighted bowling partnerships as a work in progress.
The comment motivated the side and the bowlers responded with pacemen Chad Soper (2/15), Kabua Vagi Morea (2/13) and Sema Kamea (2/13) all taking braces while part-time spinner Sese Bau (2/10) picked up a tidy two-for himself.
Taibu, who was confident after the 10-wicket win over Hong Kong on Tuesday, was pleased to see the team sticking to their plans and claiming the series, especially after tying with Oman limited overs international series and losing the T20 series.
The former Zimbawean wicket-keeper and captain said the team was continuing to work on improving its bowling and batting combinations.