Barras to play Singapore ahead of Zimbabwe qualifiers

By PATRICIA KEAMO
THE national men’s cricket team say they will use their 10-day Singapore tour to put together their best 11 for next month’s Twenty-20 (T20) World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
Skipper Assad Vala told The National yesterday before departing for Singapore that the Barramundis would play four T20 matches against Singapore as part of their preparations for the qualifiers.
“We couldn’t get our South Africa visas on time,” he said of their initial plans.
“But luckily, Cricket Papua New Guinea was able to secure some games against Singapore for the next couple of weeks.
“Our aim is to fine-tune our skills before we head to Zimbabwe.
“It has been a while since we played together, so it is a great opportunity for us as a group.
“We’ll to try and implement and put our best possible 11 out there in Singapore to get our plans and combinations right before our first game in Zimbabwe.
“We’re grouped with the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Uganda.
“There are two groups so the top-two teams will qualify for the semifinals and the winners will qualify for the World Cup in Australia.
“I would like thank our sponsor, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited, for its continued support and Cricket PNG for making this tour possible.”
The Barramundis will have three days to prepare for their T20 matches before playing back-to-back fixtures against Singapore on Saturday and Sunday.
They’ll take next Monday off before back-to-back T20 fixtures on Tuesday and Wednesday prior to their departure to Zimbabwe the following day.
PNG face the Netherlands on July 11, Uganda on July 12 and Hong Kong on July 14.
All matches are seen as must-wins for the Carl Sandri-coached side in order to qualify for the playoffs with a chance to re-enter the T20 World Cup.