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The T20 World Cup 2024 co-host West Indies nearly survived an upset defeat against Papua New Guinea. Chasing a target of 137 runs, West Indies survived a scare. The hosts were on the brink of an upset against the 20th ranked Papua New Guinea.

After being asked to bat first, Papua New Guinea (PNG) definitely struggled against the West Indies bowlers. However, riding on a brilliant innings from Sese Bau, who scored 50 runs in 43 balls, and Kiplin Doriga, Papua New Guinea posted 136 runs on the board.

Chasing the target, West Indies were once reduced to 5 wickets for 97 runs in 16 overs. But Roston Chase and Andre Russell ensured that is there is more damage done as Chase’s brilliant inning of 42 runs ensured a 5 wickets win for West Indies. Let’s take a look at 5 standout performances in West Indies vs Papua New Guinea match.

Sese Bau

31-years-old left-hand batter Sese Bau was no doubt the best batter for Oman. Bau came onto the pitch in just the 3rd over of the match and remained on the pitch till the 17th over. Bau scored 50 runs in 43 balls that included 6 Fours and 1 Six with a strike rate of 116.28. He was finally bowled by Alzarri Joseph in the 17th over, which no doubt reduced Papua New Guinea’s total and had he stay on, he could have added 20 more runs.

Andre Russell

Everyone knows of Andre Russell as one of the best batter in the death overs. But, 2024 has been something else for the Caribbean all-rounder. While he still continues to be lethal batter, he has been in exceptional form with the ball, as seen in the IPL where he took 19 wickets. Russell bowled brilliantly in the match, taking 2 wickets of Charles Amini and Chad Soper and gave away only 19 runs in 3 overs.

Akeal Hosein

31-years-old left-arm orthodox bowler Akeal Hosein also bowled brilliantly in the match. While he took only 1 wicket in the match, he bowled 3 overs and gave away only 9 runs. He bowled 2 overs in the powerplay and 1 over right after the powerplay. Hosein got the wicket of Lega Siaka in his 2nd over of the match. He was one of the big reason why Papua New Guinea couldn’t accelerate in the powerplay.

Roston Chase

The West Indies cricket team were in dire situation in the match and could have been on the wrong end of a major upset. However, Roston Chase had a different plan. The 32-years-old Chase scored 42 runs in 27 balls coming in at number 4 in the batting order. Chase hit 4 Fours and 2 Sixes during his inning and helped West Indies get over the line.

Assad Vala

Papua New Guinea (PNG) could have pulled-off brilliant upset against the T20 World Cup 2024 co-host West Indies in their first match of this edition’s tournament. Captain Assad Vala didn’t contribute much with the bat, scoring 22 runs in 23 balls. But he made up for it with the ball. Vala took 2 wickets during his 4 overs spell and have away 28 runs. He bagged the wickets of Sherfane Rutherford, which brought Papua New Guinea on the brink of a major upset win, but eventually it wasn’t to be.

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