T20 World Cup 2024: Top 3 Papua New Guinea players to watch out for in their clash against Afghanistan

Papua New Guinea came into the T20 World Cup 2024 looking to make an impression. In their very first game of the campaign they managed to do well against hosts West Indies and nearly pulled off a win. The team led by Assad Vala was lauded by one and all for their never-say-die attitude. 

The next match for the T20 World Cup newbies was against fellow debutants Uganda. It was a low-scoring encounter with the PNG bowlers making early inroads into the Uganda batting. If it hadn’t been for a few lapses in the field, PNG may have well won the game. 

The focus for Assad Vala now turns to their third game against Afghanistan. Rashid Khan and his side have won both their matches which also includes a win over New Zealand. Papua New Guinea will come up against a side that has 4 points from 2 points with a run rate above runs per over so far. 

Here are the top 3 PNG players to watch out for in their game against Afghanistan

3. H. Hiri 

The 29-year-old batter has been a consistent performer for Papua New Guinea with over 300 runs from his 23 matches. While the PNG top order has failed to come up with the goods with the bat H. Hiri has been one of their best players and was the best batter with 15 runs in the game against Uganda. His knock came off 19 balls with 2 hits to the fence to help his team reach 77 on the board.

2. Norman Vanua 

Defending just 78 to win, Papua New Guinea medium pacer Norman Vanua made life difficult for the Uganda bowlers. His ability to maintain a steady length makes him a very dangerous customer with the new ball. This makes the 30-year-old bowler a player to watch out for in the game against Afghanistan. Norman Vanua ended the game with figures of 2/19 from 4 overs.

1. Alei Nao 

Yet another Papua New Guinea pacer who will be one to watch out for against Afghanistan is Alei Nao. The Lanky pacer got the wickets of Roger Mukasa and Simon Ssesazi to leave Uganda struggling at 6/3. His partnership with Norman Vanua has been crucial for PNG in what has been a huge T20 World Cup tournament. 

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