Kiplin Doriga, a wicketkeeper-batsman from Papua New Guinea, has been formally charged with robbery following a September 2025 incident that occurred in St. Helier, Jersey, as part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League.  Doriga, 29, was arrested in the wee hours of August 25, 2025, and consequently made an appearance in court before a magistrate on August 27. 

Doriga pleaded guilty, but the court indicated the level of alleged crime was too serious for the magistrate to deal with, and therefore, the matter has been referred to a royal court, where there will be another scheduled hearing on November 28, 2025. Das not bail nor am I in custody until an off-form of November hearing is at hand. 

Doriga is a senior member of PNG cricket and has represented the country in the 2021 T20 World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup. He has also played 39 ODIs and 43 T20Is for PNG and amassed over 1,000 runs (2589) in international matches. While his recent arrest has thrown a spanner into PNG's readiness to face Canada and pertaining to the contest in Jersey, Cricket PNG has indicated the situation is an individual incident, and the team is independent of his circumstance, in regard to the completion and participation once the tournament is confirmed to generate funds for families.

Papua New Guinea’s Challenge League Performance

Papua New Guinea had a mixed overall performance in the CWC Challenge League. They played a total of nine matches during their two phases of the tournament and came away with four wins, four losses, and one no result. They finish the first phase with nine points and a net run rate of -0.131

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PNG got off to a good start in the September-October 2024 leg of the tournament, winning matches against Denmark, Qatar, Kuwait, and Kenya. They were on song with bat and ball, and expectations were high for a good finish. However, the 2025 phase in Jersey proved tricky for PNG, as they lost to Denmark, Kuwait, and Jersey, the last being a heavy defeat by 160 runs, and rain washed out their encounter with Kenya.

Despite the inconsistencies of the side, there were some outstanding individual achievements. Captain Assad Vala led all comers with the bat with 213 runs at 35.50, which included an innings of 129 not out. Seam bowler Kabua Morea was also outstanding, taking 23 wickets at 16.08. Underlined his worth to the side as PNG’s go-to bowler.

Tournament Context

The Challenge League forms an important part of the ICC’s pathway for associate nations with a goal to qualify for the 2027 Cricket World Cup. PNG still remains in the qualification picture but will need to be more consistent in the final phase in Qatar next year.

The island of Jersey is going to hold an important leg of the 2024–2026 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League in Group A, as the nations will compete in the second round of matches towards the 2027 Cricket World Cup. The event is to coincide with the tournament taking place in August 2025, and will host 15 List A matches over two weeks of cricket, at two beautiful venues, Grainville Cricket Ground in St Saviour and Farmers Cricket Club Ground in St Martin. The competing nations, Denmark, Jersey, Kenya, Kuwait, Papua New Guinea and Qatar, will compete for the top positions in the table, as they aim towards the World Cup, over the two-week period of cricket.

A Tournament with Stakes

This round of Challenge League A is significant, as we reach the halfway stage of the tournament. Only the one team that finishes at the top of the group will qualify for the next round of FIFA World Cup qualification, so every match is important in determining who emerges as the group leader. Jersey will be hoping to utilise local knowledge of the pitches and the support of the home crowd. The competition remains stiff, though, with PNG, Kenya and Denmark also putting together strong teams.

Full Schedule – 2025 Jersey Challenge League A

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Points Table – League A (as of 5 October 2024)

The Road Ahead

As each match carries List A status, players will be even more motivated to improve their individual stats while contributing to their team's qualification journey. There are very few things which can motivate performance as much as rankings and stats, and this tournament signifies another growing chapter for Associate cricket in which every player is looking to step onto the world stage. Jersey is ready. The teams are ready. And the road to the World Cup just got a little bit hotter.