Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), July 14 (UNI) PNG became the fourth team to qualify for the semifinals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B despite losing to Hong Kong by two wickets, here on Thursday.
Put in to bat first, PNG put up an impressive batting display. Their start was slow as captain Assad Vala perished cheaply and Lega Siaka could not convert his start into a big score.
But Charles Amini and Tony Ura did well to get PNG on track. Amini and Ura added 59 runs for the third wicket. Even after Amini’s wicket, Ura continued to plunder runs, eventually ending with a 33-ball 83, a knock that consisted of four fours and eight sixes. His flamboyant innings powered PNG to 185/7.
In reply, Hong Kong got off to a wobbly start and was 24/2 after the first three overs. But Babar Hayat broke the shackles in the next over, clubbing Semo Kamea for three sixes. Despite wickets falling at the other end, he did not slow down and continued his aggressive game. He was supported by Zeeshan Ali, who slammed a 23-ball 42.
By the time Hayat got out in the 17th over after scoring a 45-ball 86, Hong Kong still needed 28 runs to win. A cameo from Shahid Wasif helped them get over the line on the final ball of the match.
