Coming off a defeat against Afghanistan and West Indies, Uganda and PNG (respectively) would hope for the two points to somehow land in their kitty. Uganda was trounced by the Afghanistan team on Monday after they suffered a ginormous 125-run defeat, skyrocketing the Afghan team’s NRR and plunging theirs lower than even the wreck of Titanic. However, they would still feel they have a good chance against PNG because there is no other way to survive in this tournament teeming with beasts. To stay above the water level, for now, Uganda need to triumph over PNG at Providence on Wednesday.
Although PNG lost to the West Indies the other day as well, their defeat was not as humiliating. In fact, they did quite well as the match proceeded to the last over and the results could have been entirely different at the merest shift. But that merest shift did not come and no matter how clinical their performance was the merciless points table does not honor that. Victories are all that matter to the table and should the PNG continue playing the same brand of cricket, they did against the Windies, they could as well seal the de
Team Overview:
The Uganda Skipper Brian Masaba and Cosmas Kyewuta took two scalps each during their match against Afghanistan. Although this is not exactly a very impressive feat in teh context of the game when the Afghan batters were going all guns blazing, these wickets provided Uganda with the reprieve and halted them before crossing the 200-run mark. For them to get the results they desire this time, their batters would need to rise to the occasion. The Masaba-led team has already played one match at the Providence stadium and they would very well know where to get the maximum benefit from.
Sese Bau scored a spectacular 43-ball-50 against West Indies on the same ground in PNG’s last fixture which helped the team to score a somewhat respectable total. Assad Vala’s late innings cameo with the bat and impressive bowling make him one of the key players who could orchestrate the victory for their team.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Both teams have faced each other only once and that was back in 2022 when they were fighting to book a berth for the World Cup in the qualifiers. That one game was bested by PNG by 8 wickets.
Weather and Pitch Report:
The menacing grey clouds are threatening to interfere with the play in Guyana during game time. Even if does not rain the humidity would play a key factor in deciding the pitch conditions. Usually, fast bowlers enjoy using the moisture and invariable bounce off the pitch to make the batters misjudge the ball and err, and the same will be the case during this game. Spinners could also benefit from the sluggish pitch who would definitely have some devils for them.
Prediction:
Uganda and PNG both have the weapons in their arsenal to get over the line, however, the team who manages to outdo the other with the bat in these conditions would have more chances of getting those crucial two points. For the same reason, PNG seem odds-on to come out at the top.
Where to Watch:
You can watch the games on the following platforms as per your region:
- India – Star Sports
- Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming) and Tamasha app (Live streaming)
- USA and Canada – Willow TV
- England – Sky Sports Network
- Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
- New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
- Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
