PNG total easily overhauled

A fighting 46 by opener Lega Siaka plus a lower order contribution worth 78 runs was not enough to hold off cricket powerhouse Pakistan in PNG’s second warm-up match of the Youth Under-19 World Cup yesterday.
The sub-continent giants overhauled the Garamuts’ 6-194 with 17 overs to spare in a match that saw opener Sami Aslam (132) post a fine  century.
Pakistan hit 197 off 32.3 overs in what was little more than a glorified batting session despite PNG’s valiant efforts with the ball and in the field at Norman Gray oval in Brisbane.
For PNG the pleasing aspect was lower order batsmen Dogodo Bau (37) and Nigel Boge’s (41) partnership which added significantly to the scant runs scored by their top order.
Captain Chris Kent (25) and Sese Bau (16) the only other prominent run scorers on a batting card that struggled to handle the bowling of Eshan Adil (1/17 off 10 overs) and Zia Ul-Haq (1/23 off 10 overs).
The loss was a reality check for the Group C minnows who had beaten Nepal by eight wickets the day before.
In that match, Siaka was in top form hitting a century as PNG ran down Nepal’s par score of 213.
The 19-year-old’s 106 was a boost to the confidence of the Garamuts in their lead up to their pool matches, which begin on Saturday against a strong Zimbabwe XI.
Chad Soper was the pick of the bowlers, picking up his maiden five-wicket haul in a disciplined performance with the ball to finish with impressive figures of 5/22 off his seven overs.
The Garamuts will play Zimbabwe this weekend, West Indies on Monday and India next Thursday before the place play-offs begin on Aug 19.