Papua New Guinea and Uganda, two Associate nations, will face off in a historic T20 World Cup clash on Wednesday, June 5, in Providence. Both teams are seeking their first victory in the tournament, having lost their opening matches.
PNG, who made their T20 World Cup debut in 2021, are a formidable force in the East Asia-Pacific region. Despite losing all four matches in their previous World Cup appearance, they nearly upset co-hosts West Indies in their first game this year.
Uganda, on the other hand, is making their debut in any World Cup. They qualified for the T20 World Cup by defeating Zimbabwe in the Africa Region Qualifier last year. However, they were outclassed by Afghanistan in their opening match, scoring only 58 runs.
Despite their contrasting experiences, both PNG and Uganda have a realistic chance of winning this match. PNG boasts a strong batting lineup led by Sese Bau, who scored a half-century against West Indies. Uganda, meanwhile, has a solid top-order batter in Roger Mukasa.
The pitch at Providence has been slow traditionally, which could favor the spinners. Both teams have a mix of pace and spin options, so the match could be closely contested.
PNG coach Phil Simmons praised his team's energy and enthusiasm, while Uganda coach Abhay Sharma acknowledged the team's lack of experience under lights. However, Sharma believes that Uganda has the potential to improve in the future.
Tags: #T20WorldCup, #PNGvsUganda, #AssociateNations, #Cricket, #Providence
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