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Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a beautiful island country in the Oceania region part of the East-Asia Pacific Association and they are set to take part in their 2nd ever T20 World Cup, after taking part in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, their first ever appearance.

Papua New Guinea made it to the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 through the East-Asia Pacific Qualifiers. They were outrageously dominant in the whole tournament. They finished top of the table winning all 6 of the matches and a net run rate of 4.189. They faced and crushed teams like Japan, Vanuatu and the Philippines in the East-Asia Pacific Qualifiers Final.

Papua New Guinea has been placed in Group C with former two-times T20 World Cup-winning side West Indies, the co-host of the tournament, and the likes of New Zealand, Afghanistan and Uganda. Let’s take a look at their top 5 players to watch out for in the World Cup.

Tony Pala Ura

Papua New Guinea will be very much dependent on their 34-year-old wicketkeeper batter Tony Pala Ura to give some much-needed hitting power to their inning. Tony Ura has the best strike rate among the players who have been selected for the tournament. Ura has played 50 T20I matches for PNG and has scored 1463 runs with a strike rate of 156.97 and an average of 34.02. He was the team’s top scorer in the qualifier with 182 runs.

Assad Vala

Assad Vala will be playing a crucial role for the Papua New Guinea side in the T20 World Cup 2024. Vala is the captain of the team and has experience playing 53 T20I matches in his career. He has scored 1207 runs in his career with a strike rate of 120 and an average of 28.74. He also has 31 wickets in his career. He was the team’s 2nd highest run scorer in the qualifier.

Norman Vanua

Right-arm medium pacer Norman Vanua will be one of the key bowlers for the Papua New Guinea team. Vanua is 30 years old and has come through the ranks of their U19 system. He has played 49 matches in his career and has taken 51 wickets so far. He was the team’s joint-highest wicket-taker in the qualifier with 10 wickets in 5 matches.

John Kariko

John Kariko is a young blood coming through the ranks of Papua New Guinea. The 20-year-old has played 16 matches for his country and has already taken 25 wickets with an economy rate of 5.01. He has a long future ahead and Papua New Guinea will be hoping that he delivers for the team in the mega event.

Kabua Morea

Kabua Morea is a left-arm medium pacer who will be turning out for Papua New Guinea in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. He will be forming a partnership with Vanua. The 30-year-old has played 19 matches for his country and has taken 32 wickets. He can also smash the ball when needed and would be looking to contribute significantly.

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