T20 World Cup, WI vs PNG: Joseph, Russell strike twice as West Indies restrict PNG to 136/8

West Indies captain Rovman Powell won the toss and opted to bowl first against Papua New Guinea in the opening Group C match of the T20 World Cup at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday.

Papua New Guinea posted 136/8 in their T20 World Cup opener vs West Indies in Georgetown, on Sunday. Andre Russell and Alzarri Joseph bagged two-wicket hauls respectively as West Indies dominated in the first innings. Meanwhile, Sese Bau got a half-century, slamming 50 off 43 balls. Although they are two-time world champions, West Indies have dwindled in terms of their performance in ICC tournaments lately. But this time, they look strong and could be set for redemption. Meanwhile, Papua New Guinea is weak on paper, compared to the Windies, and also have an aging squad.

Sese Bau falls after fifty as PNG’s slide continues

But with experience, they could spring a surprise or two. Speaking ahead of the match, Windies captain Rovman Powell said, “If Andre Russell rocks up for any international team, you would definitely slot him within the team. That is no surprise to see Andre automatically slot into our team.

He comes with a wealth of experience and the good thing is he comes with additional confidence on the back of good performances in the IPL. We are definitely looking forward to Andre Russell being a significant part of our World Cup and hopefully, he can be a three-time World Cup champion after this.”

Meanwhile, PNG skipper Assad Vala said, “It means a lot to be playing amongst the best 20 teams in the world. We are going into games trying to win. We just don’t want to go out there and play for the sake of playing. As we are here to play the best cricket we can and the brand of cricket we know we can play.”