Lockie Ferguson (3/0) bowled the most economical spell in T20I history as New Zealand shot out Papua New Guinea for a mere 78 in their inconsequential Group C World Cup match on Monday. Ferguson joined Canada skipper Saad Bin Zafar as only the second bowler in T20I history to have sent down each of the allotted four overs as maiden, returning figures of 4-4-0-3 after the latter recorded 4-4-0-2.

The Kiwis were successful in keeping the PNG batters quiet and pinned to their respective ends for the majority of their innings which folded in 19.4 overs, with the first half witnessing the ball racing to the ropes for boundaries only on four occasions.

Lockie needs to hesitate

He’s got zero chill. Literally ‘ZERO’ https://t.co/jTVxi5H2xD pic.twitter.com/5P6dXydZW3

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) June 17, 2024

Trent Boult (2/14), playing in his last T20 World Cup match, began with a two-run first over but it was Tim Southee (2/11) who drew the first blood, getting PNG opener Tony Ura caught at deep backward point.

While there was no success for Boult in terms of wickets with the new ball, Ferguson struck on his very first ball to have PNG skipper Assad Vala caught at widish first slip for six.

Ferguson continued to trouble the opposition batters to such an extent that PNG could not score a run off his first three overs.

The right-arm pacer had further success when he pinned Charles Amini (17) in front of the wickets successfully for the third wicket.

Mitchell Santner (1/17) cut short the progress of Sese Bay (12), getting him caught by Finn Allen at long on after luring the batter to dance down the track and hit him but the connection was improper.

Having not conceded a run yet, Ferguson found an inside edge off Chad Soper’s (1) bat crashing into the wickets after he recklessly dangled his bat which came down awkwardly away from his pads.

Ferguson finished his spell without having conceded a run and thus joined Zafar, who was the first to have bowled all four maidens in November 2021 against Panama in T20 World Cup Americas Region Qualifier.

Boult came back into the attack for his first wicket of the contest to clean up Hiri Hiri (7) while Southee bagged another in the next to remove wicketkeeper-batter Kiplin Doriga (5) out of the equation.

Having toiled for success in his first three overs, Ish Sodhi (2/29) grabbed a couple of wickets to wrap up the PNG innings in the last over. 

New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 LIVE Updates© BCCI/IPL

New Zealand vs PNG Live Streaming: A consolatory win over a lowly Papua New Guinea would be the best that the New Zealand can walk away with in this T20 World Cup, with curtains coming down on their campaign prematurely. For a team as consistent as New Zealand in ICC tournaments, the Kiwis have paid a heavy price for being sluggish at the start as a couple of defeats upfront led to their surprisingly early exit. The game will, however, carry a massive significance for the Kiwi group as Trent Boult has confirmed this is his last T20 World Cup for the country and the Kane Williamson-led side will be motivated to give their best against PNG, who have lost each of their three matches so far.  

When will the New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match be played?

The New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be played on Monday, June 17 (IST).

Where will the New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match be played?

The New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be played at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad.

What time will the New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match start?

The New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match will start at 8:00 PM IST. The toss will take place at 7:30 PM IST.

Which TV channels will telecast the New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match?

The New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be telecast in India on the Star Sports Network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match?

The New Zealand vs Papua New Guinea, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be streamed live on Disney plus Hotstar app and website.

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

Representational image of New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon
| Photo Credit: Getty Images

The New Zealand defence force plane flying New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Japan broke down on Sunday, forcing the Prime Minister to take a commercial flight, his office confirmed on Monday.

Mr. Luxon is spending four days in Japan, where he is expected to meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and spend time promoting New Zealand business.

New Zealand media reported that the Boeing 757 broke down during a refuelling stop in Papua New Guinea, leaving the business delegation and journalists stranded in Port Moresby, while Mr. Luxon flew commercial to Japan.

Ageing aircraft

The New Zealand Defence Force’s two 757s are more than 30 years old and their age has made them increasingly unreliable.

New Zealand Defence Minister Judith Collins told radio station Newstalk ZB on Monday that the consistent flight issues were “embarrassing” and that the ministry was looking at flying Mr. Luxon and his delegation commercially from now on.

New Zealand’s defence force is struggling with ageing equipment and retaining sufficient personnel. The government has said it would like to spend more on defence but is also trying to reduce spending as the country faces economic headwinds.

Two-time champions West Indies were put under extreme pressure by a plucky Papua New Guinea unit before scraping through with a five-wicket win in their 2024 T20 World Cup opener here on Sunday. Left-hander Sese Bau (50 off 43) made a fine half-century to take PNG to 136 for eight after the associate nation lost their first four wickets for 50 runs. A power-packed West Indies should have chased down the below-par total comfortably but PNG made them work hard for the win despite their limitations.

PNG’s spinners as well medium pacers did not allow the hard-hitting West Indies batters to cut loose on a slow surface. The tournament co-hosts eventually got home in 19 overs thanks to rearguard action from Roston Chase (42 not out off 27 balls) and Andre Russell (15 off 9).

The West Indies’ innings was halted for 20 minutes due to rain but there was no loss of overs. The passing shower arrived with the home team at 8 for one in the second over and it would have been two down at the same score had right-arm pacer Alei Nao won a lbw review for the dangerous Nicholas Pooran.

After trapping Johnson Charles off his very first ball, Nao got another one to seam back in from short of length to leave Pooran stranded but luck was on the latter’s side. However, his scratchy effort ended when he was caught in the deep off left-arm spinner John Kariko.

PNG skipper Assad Vala made it 63 for three inside 10 overs when he deceived opener Brandon King (34) in flight and had him caught at deep midwicket. Nerves increased in the West Indies dressing room when it became 97 for five in 16 overs before Chase and Russell got hold of the proceedings.

After PNG were sent in to bat, Bau made instant impact on the big stage with his spirited effort.

PNG, playing their second T20 World Cup, were reeling at 50 for four before Bau shared a 44-run stand with Charles Amini (12) to save them the blushes.

Expecting the pitch to turn, the West Indies picked three spinners and put the opposition in after winning the toss.

The help for the spinners was visible as early as the first over bowled by Akeal Hosein.

However, it was pacer Romario Shepherd who picked the first wicket by having Tony Ura caught behind in the second over of the game. The ball seamed away, inducing a thick edge from the batter.

Hosein got rid of number three Lega Siaka with an arm ball before Alzarri Joseph sent back Vala (21 off 22 balls). Vala came up with a couple of crisp hits in the cover region before being caught brilliantly by Roston Chase at backward point.

Vala’s six over extra cover off spinner Chase in the previous over was one of the highlights of PNG’s innings.

Bau then ensured that the odd boundary kept coming as PNG tried to consolidate their innings.

Bau, a leftie like Vala, smashed left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie for a six and couple of fours to give the innings much needed momentum.

After his departure, the associate nation did rather well to get close to the 140-run mark. 

T20 World Cup co-hosts and two-time champions West Indies kicked off their campaign on Sunday against minnow Papua New Guinea at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. However, empty stands and lack of buzz was quite evident in the Group C opener. The seats inside the stadium were partially filled with most of the stands being empty and isolated. Reacting to the lack of buzz in the Caribbean nation, fans on social media labelled it as sad and disappointing.

Here’s how social media reacted:

Empty stands in Guyana.

Morning match with high ticketing prices have resulted in less crowds. pic.twitter.com/BbxegLme0m

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 2, 2024

The Empty stands at Guyana.

– This is sad to see Empty stadium for the Home team West Indies game in T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/MN9ot2TxJ7

— Tanuj Singh (@ImTanujSingh) June 2, 2024

These are empty stands in the West Indies and the home team is playing, and then people say everything is arranged as per Indian audience. pic.twitter.com/DDKadQPYj4

— Div(@div_yumm) June 2, 2024

The Empty stands at Guyana.

– This is sad to see Empty stadium for the Home team West Indies game in T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/fPsw63lGmB

— CRICKET FAN (@Rishi174911) June 2, 2024

Guyana empty stands.

A morning match with expensive tickets has drawn fewer spectators. pic.twitter.com/pjO7a0EVJs

— GS SPORTS (@Gssports25) June 2, 2024

There was also a turnout in the opening game between USA and Canada in Dallas. There are still tickets available for the highly expected India-Pakistan game on June 9 in New York, particularly for the Diamond Club, Corner Clubs, and Premium Club Lounge (North) sections.

One of the biggest reasons for this lack of buzz has been the pricing of the tickets.

“I don’t think there is enough buzz for the World Cup here as compared to India, because it hasn’t been marketed as much. I feel they could have done a lot more in terms of build-up. But I am hoping that as the tournament progresses, it will gain more interest. When you travel through areas or via airports, there’s not much buzz or hoardings.” said Prasanna Balakrishnan.

“When you go through an airport in a country hosting a major event like a World Cup, you get to see hoardings or other signs there for it. But I have seen from people travelling for the tournament through their X (formerly Twitter) posts that there hasn’t been much on this front,” he said. “Tournament promotions in the USA have been here and there. It has been decent, but not as much because other than the Asian population over here and in other places, I am not sure if it has reached much.”

“Time will tell about it as there are a few good games in Dallas, New York, and Florida, including matches of USA, Canada, and Nepal as well, and how they are received,” adds Prasanna, who will be present in the stadium to see all of India’s league matches in New York and Florida.

What has also been astonishing is a release from USA Cricket earlier this week saying fans can now secure tickets for the co-hosts’ three home matches (barring the one against India) at a remarkable 25% discount. The move hints at a lack of buzz for the tournament leading to empty seats in stadiums for the matches.

“When the first batch of ticket sales opened, they didn’t allow us to choose seats. Like, they allowed us to choose certain categories like standard, premium, VIP, etc. Only after that, they opened us few seats. We thought they were sold out but were not so.”

(With IANS Inputs)

West Indies vs Papua New GuineaT20 World Cup 2024 Live Score© X (Twitter)

West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 Live Streaming: It’s been more than eight years since Carlos Brathwaite‘s four sixes at Eden Gardens gave West Indies their second T20 world title. Now, a wounded West Indies will look to redeem themselves at home when they begin their campaign in the event’s ninth edition by taking on Papua New Guinea. In 2021, they endured four defeats in five games to make a Super 12 exit. Worse was in store in the 2022 edition in Australia when they failed to qualify for the main round after shock defeats to minnows Scotland and Ireland.

It’s been 2982 days since the memorable night at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, something they would be desperate to reclaim especially when the tournament is at home.

The Assadollah Vala-led PNG will make their second appearance after 2021 after sealing their spot via the East Asia-Pacific regional final in July 2023.

Vala is one of 10 players from their 2021 campaign, with that edition’s reserve member Jack Gardner picked in the 15-player group this time. Leg-spinning all-rounder CJ Amini will be his deputy.

When will the West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match be played?

The West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be played on Sunday, June 2 (IST) at 8:00 PM IST.

Where will the West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match be played?

The West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be played at the Providence stadium in Guyana.

What time will the West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match start?

The West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match will start at 6:00 AM IST. The toss will take place at 5:30 PM IST.

Which TV channels will telecast the West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match?

The West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be telecast in India on the Star Sports Network.

Where to follow the live streaming of the West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match?

The West Indies vs PNG, T20 World Cup 2024 match will be streamed live on Disney plus Hotstar app and website.

(All the details are as per the information provided by the broadcaster)

With PTI inputs

West Indies (WI) will face off against Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Match 2 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024. This exciting match is scheduled to take place at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday. The match will be played at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday. Papua New Guinea are playing their first game of this season. In their last five games, Papua New Guinea have won three games and lost two. West Indies are also playing their first game of this season. In their last five games, West Indies have won four games and lost one.

WI vs PNG: Top Players to Watch Out For

1. Alei Nao (PNG)

Alei Nao is a right-arm medium pacer who has been in impressive form recently. In his last five matches, he has claimed eight wickets, showcasing his ability to make crucial breakthroughs for his team.

2. Charles Amini (PNG)

Charles Amini is a versatile all-rounder. The top-order, left-handed batter has scored 154 runs in his last five matches, demonstrating his batting prowess. His leg-break bowling has also been effective, taking six wickets in recent matches.

3. Assad Vala (PNG)

Assad Vala is another key all-rounder for PNG. Batting in the top order, the left-hander has accumulated 35 runs in his last five matches. His off-break bowling has also been valuable, with six wickets to his name in recent games.

4. Gudakesh Motie (WI)

Gudakesh Motie is a promising slow left-arm orthodox bowler for the West Indies. He has been in stellar form, taking 10 wickets in his last five matches, making him a crucial component of the WI bowling attack.

5. Nicholas Pooran (WI)

Nicholas Pooran is a dynamic top-order left-handed batter who also serves as the team’s wicketkeeper. Pooran has been exceptional with the bat, scoring 269 runs in his last five matches, making him a key player to watch.

6. Johnson Charles (WI)

Johnson Charles is a right-handed batter who occupies the top order for the West Indies. He has scored 141 runs in his last five matches, indicating his ability to provide solid starts and contribute significantly to the team’s total.

As both teams prepare for this crucial encounter, these players are expected to play pivotal roles in determining the outcome of the match. The West Indies will rely on their experience and home advantage, while Papua New Guinea will aim to make a mark with their emerging talent.

West Indies (WI) will take on Papua New Guinea (PNG) in Match 2 of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024. The match will be played at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday. Papua New Guinea are playing their first game of this season. In their last five games, Papua New Guinea have won three games and lost two. West Indies are also playing their first game of this season. In their last five games, West Indies have won four games and lost one.

Pitch Report and Weather Conditions

The average first-innings score at this venue in the last 20 matches is 156 runs. The pitch at the Guyana National Stadium is a sporting one with decent assistance for both batters and bowlers.

Pace or Spin?

The venue is suited for both pacers and spinners alike.

Weather Report

The temperature will hover around 29 degree C and humidity is expected to be around 74%. Winds at a speed of 2.16 m/s are expected. Light rain is expected which may affect playing conditions.

Fantasy Top Captain and Vice-Captain Picks

Alei Nao (PNG)

Alei Nao is a bowler with an average of 91 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.3 and can be a good safe pick for your Fantasy Team. He bowls right-arm medium and in the recently played five matches, he has taken eight wickets.

Charles Amini (PNG)

Charles Amini is an all-rounder with an average of 75 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.6 and is a punt player for your Fantasy Team. He is a top-order, left-handed batter. In the recent five matches, he has scored 154 runs. He also bowls decently, bowling leg-break and in recent matches, he has taken five wickets.

Assad Vala (PNG)

Assad Vala is an all-rounder with an average of 69 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 9.2 and can be a good safe pick for your Fantasy Team. He is a top-order, left-handed batter. In the recently played five matches, he has scored 35 runs. He is also a handy bowler, bowling off-break and in recent matches, he has taken six wickets.

Gudakesh Motie (WI)

Gudakesh Motie is a bowler with an average of 66 fantasy points in the last eight games, a fantasy rating of 7.4 and can be a good pick for your Fantasy Team. He bowls slow left-arm orthodox and in the recent five matches, he has taken 10 wickets.

Kabua Morea (PNG)

Kabua Morea is a good-to-have player for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 62 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.6. He is a left-arm medium bowler and in the recently played five matches, Morea has taken nine wickets.

Nicholas Pooran (WI)

Nicholas Pooran can be a good pick for your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 60 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8.3. He is a top-order, left-handed batter and also keeps wickets. In the recently played five matches, Pooran has scored 269 runs.

Hiri Hiri (PNG)

Hiri Hiri is a key inclusion to your Fantasy Team. He has an average of 59 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 7.6. He is a top-order, right-handed batter. In the recent five matches, he has scored 44 runs.

Johnson Charles (WI)

Johnson Charles is a batter with an average of 58 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.8 and is a high-risk, high-returns player for your Fantasy Team. Charles is a top-order, right-handed batter. In the recently played five matches, he has scored 141 runs.

Sese Bau (PNG)

Sese Bau is an all-rounder with an average of 56 fantasy points in the last 10 games, a fantasy rating of 8.8 and is a fairly consistent player in terms of fantasy points. He is a top-order, left-handed batter. In the recently played five matches, Bau has scored 83 runs. He also bowls decently, bowling off-break and in recent matches, he has taken three wickets.

Andre Russell (WI)

Andre Russell is a must-have pick for your Fantasy Team. Russell has an average of 54 fantasy points in the last 10 games and a fantasy rating of 8. He is a right-handed batter. In the last five matches, he has scored 24 runs. Russell is also a handy bowler, bowling right-arm fast and in recent matches, he has taken six wickets.

Fantasy Team

Wicket-Keepers: Johnson Charles and Nicholas Pooran

Batter: Rovman Powell and Hiri Hiri

All-Rounders: Assad Vala, Sese Bau and Andre Russell

Bowlers: Alei Nao, Kabua Morea, Gudakesh Motie and Obed McCoy

Captain: Andre Russell

Vice-Captain: Assad Vala