PNG cricket team trip successful
PAPUA New Guinea’s SP cricket team completed a successful three-game visit to Townsville with a convincing win over Tropical North Queensland at Gill Park today
.
After winning the toss and batting, PNG were bowled out for 239 in the 48th over and then knocked over the Tropical North batting line-up for 161.
The PNG innings was anchored by Mahuru Dai, with 80 off 67 balls, and Jamie Brazier, who hit 76 off 61 balls.
The pair came together with the innings looking shaky at 3-35 but put on 137 runs off 18 overs for the fourth wicket.
When Brazier was out, caught in the deep off the bowling of Lance Walsh, they had moved the total to 172 and put their team in the box seat.
The best of Tropical North’s bowlers were Patrick Hagenbach, who took 2-8 off 5.3 overs of medium pace, legspinner Sean Death (2-13 off seven) and opening bowler Martin Rush (2-18 off eight).
Hagenbach then topscored for the home team with 36 runs off 33 balls, batting at No.3.
No.7 batsmen Matthew Brooks added some respectability to the innings, helping take the score from 5-69 to 9-142 with a handy innings of 35.
PNG’s best bowlers were Brazier, who took 3-26 from 10 overs of offspin, and captain Rarua Dikana, who took 2-15 off eight overs of medium pace.
The PNG squad returns to Port Moresby on Tuesday and will re-assemble late next month
before heading to Ireland for the International Cricket Council Trophy tournament.
The ICC’s East Asia Pacific development officer Martin Gleeson said the matches on Saturday and Saturday, which followed a win over North Queensland Army on Friday, were good preparation for the trip to Ireland.
“The guys have played very well but we had an advantage because we are full-on into our cricket whereas the teams we played against had to come out of their off-season,’’ Gleeson said.
“The visit was successful in allowing the players to work on processes and execute game plans very well.’’
PNG play warm-up games against Uganda and the United Arab Emirates in Ireland before the first match of the ICC Trophy against Holland on July 1.
