Power-packed West Indies look to get past PNG - and the weather - in style
Written by I Dig Sports
Match details
West Indies vs Papua New Guinea
June 2, Providence, 10.30am local; 2.30pm GMT; 8pm IST
Big picture - West Indies look to make early moves
Now, in home territory, with a team in form, West Indies will hope to return to their glory days. PNG might not appear as threatening as some of the other teams, but West Indies will have to start strong, even think of giving their net run-rate an early boost.
PNG, in their second appearance at the World Cup and the first since 2021, will want to make an impression, and upset some calculations. And they have the experience for it - ten of their members played in the 2021 edition; only four of their players are below 25. PNG are a pace-dominated side with only Charles Amini as a frontline spinner. But it's the veteran batters that they will look to - Assad Vala, Tony Ura, Lega Siaka, Sese Bau are all capable of turning it on, and West Indies will be aware of that.
A host nation has never won the men's T20 World Cup, and West Indies will hope to buck the trend this time. Starting right away.
Form guide
West Indies WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Papua New Guinea LWWLW
In the spotlight - Nicholas Pooran and Charles Amini
Team news
Johnson Charles and King had an excellent series against South Africa and are likely to open in the first game with Powell, Pooran, Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford forming the middle order. Russell and Akeal Hosein are likely to be the allrounders, while the Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, should lead the pace attack.
West Indies (probable XI): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Brandon King, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Sherfane Rutherford, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Shamar Joseph, 11 Gudakesh Motie
Ura, PNG's highest-run scorer in T20Is, will be the backbone of their batting unit along with Vala and Amini. Norman Vanua, their highest wicket-taker in the format, will lead the fast-bowling unit alongside John Kariko and Chad Soper.
PNG (probable XI): 1 Tony Ura (capt), 2 Sese Bau, 3 Assad Vala, 4 Lega Siaka, 5 Charles Amini, 6 Hiri Hiri, 7 Kiplin Doriga (wk), 8 Norman Vanua, 9 Alei Nao, 10, John Kariko, 11 Chad Soper
Stats that matter
- Pooran has hit the most sixes in T20 cricket in 2024 - 77 - and he is fifth on the list for most runs in T20 cricket this year - 993
- Russell's strike rate of 207.89 in T20 cricket this year is the highest for any batter who has faced more than 75 balls
- Obed McCoy has picked up 36 wickets in T20 cricket this year, the fourth-highest
- Ura is the only PNG batter to have scored a century in T20Is
- Kariko is PNG's highest wicket-taker in T20Is since the start of 2023 - 25 in 16 games
Pitch and conditions
The average first-innings score at Providence in T20 games since the start of 2022 is 168 with teams happier to bat second. In 24 T20 games here since 2022, captains have opted to field in 16 outings. But, it has not always translated into wins. Teams batting first have scored 11 wins out of 24 while 12 have been won by the teams batting second. One game was washed out. Spinners have been dominant here, going at an economy of 6.94 in those games. But all of that will become relevant if the weather holds up. There are chances of showers and even a thunderstorm early in the day.
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
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