and john kariko

T20 World Cup: After failing to pull off an upset against West Indies (WI) in their T20 World Cup 2024 opener on Sunday, Papua New Guinea (PNG) captain Assad Vala reflected on the match, noting that with a few more runs towards the end, they could have challenged the hosts more fiercely.

PNG's T20 World Cup opener against West Indies marked only their eighth encounter with a Full Member team. Despite the daunting opposition, PNG's performance suggested they could pull off an upset. After posting 136 on the board, they had the West Indies in trouble at 97 for 5 in 16 overs. However, dreams of an upset were dashed as Andre Russell and Roston Chase steered the hosts West Indies to victory.

"I think batting as well, I think we didn't play the crucial moments the way we wanted. They had batsmen towards the end, which we didn't. I think we missed out on a few runs towards the end as well. But I think credit to them. They got a lot of experience. So, I think we played really well. We executed our skills really well.