Undefeated Barras win T20 tri-nation series

THE Papua New Guinea men’s cricket team were crowned champions of the Malaysia Twenty-20 (T20) International tri-nation series yesterday after finishing the tournament undefeated, winning all four of their fixtures.
After winning two of their matches last week, the Barramundis rested on Friday before ousting hosts Malaysia by four wickets on Saturday and edging Hong Kong yesterday.
Skipper Assad Vala said it was nerve wrecking watching from the benches as his men lost quick wickets but managed to pass the target with a wicket to spare.
Consultant coach Tatenda Taibu commended the team saying the experience was great with the team displaying quality cricket.
“We played good cricket most of the time. Whenever anyone plays, the intention is to win the match and we did just that four out of four matches to win the series,” Taibu told The National yesterday.
“There are a few areas which we have picked up as areas to improve on and we shall work on them.”
In their last fixture yesterday, the Barramundis opted to field first restricting Hong Jong to 89/9 with Charles Amini Jr taking out 2/15 in four overs, Sema Kamea 1/10 and Alei Nao 1/10. In their batting inning, the Barramundis lost wickets quickly and it almost seemed like they wouldn’t pass the target.
Last batters Kamea and Nao pulled through to get the win for PNG with a 21 run contribution from 15 balls by Lega Siaka as they reached 90/9 and won by a wicket.
“It was very nervous for us watching from outside after losing quick wickets but we came out with a win,” Vala said.
“It was good to be put under pressure (by Hong Kong) and to fight back for the win the way we did so I commend the team for that.
“This tournament was about giving opportunities to everyone to stake their claim at the World Cup moving forward.”