T20 World Cup: Windies cruise past Papua New Guinea in opening clash

Rovman Powell's side win match by five wickets after restricting their opponents to 136-8

West Indies' Roston Chase plays a shot against Papua New Guinea during an ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match at Guyana National Stadium in Providence, Guyana, Sunday, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo / Ramon Espinosa)

Papua New Guinea's wicketkeeper Kipling Doriga celebrates taking the catch to dismiss West Indies' captain Rovman Powell for 15. AP

West Indies' Nicholas Pooran made 27. AP

West Indies' batsman Brandon King walks of the field as Papua New Guinea wicketkeeper Kipling Doriga, centre, celebrates his dismissal for 34. AP

West Indies' Andre Russell plays a shot watched by Papua New Guinea wicketkeeper Kipling Doriga. AP

Papua New Guinea's Chad Soper is bowled by West Indies' Andre Russell. AP

Papua New Guinea's Sese Bau is bowled by West Indies' Alzarri Joseph. AP

Papua New Guinea's Sese Bau hits a six against West Indies on his way to a total of 50 off 43 balls. AP

The West Indies' bowling attack proved too strong for the relatively inexperienced Papua New Guinea as the two-time former champions won by five wickets in their T20 World Cup clash on Sunday.

Sese Bau's belligerent 50 off 43 balls, with six fours and one six, represented the only meaningful contribution from PNG as they were restricted to 136 for eight after being put in to bat on a bright, humid morning.

Wicketkeeper Kiplin Doriga (27 not out) and captain Assad Vala (21) were the only other players to get past 20 with fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Andre Russell spearheading a disciplined West Indies effort with two wickets each.

West Indies captain Rovman Powell opted with a spin-pace combination throughout the innings to good effect.

The slow bowling trio of Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie and Roston Chase contributed with wickets and economy to limit a struggling Papua batting line-up.

Chase then top-scored with 42 off 27 balls in the West Indies' reply, with Brandon King (34) and Nicholas Pooran (27) also contributing as they cruised to 137-5 in 19 overs.

Chastened by desperately poor showings at the last two T20 World Cups, the champions from 2012 and 2016 are keen to pick up early points against PNG and Uganda before the tougher Group C challenges in the shape of New Zealand and Afghanistan.

West Indies' only previous meeting in an official international fixture against Papua New Guinea was at the 2018 qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe for the 2019 50-over-side World Cup.

Jason Holder's unbeaten 99 guided the Caribbean team to a six-wicket win in Harare.

West Indies captain Powell said after Sunday's game: "Credit to PNG, their plans were simple and they played good cricket. It's important to start well and that's what we did.

"We gave them 10-15 runs too much and we will look to tighten up when bowling. They showed intent and played smartly.

"Our team since I became captain we have played together as a group and we have enjoyed it, hopefully we can show that. Roston Chase bowled well and then came in with the innings that we needed. We weren't quite at our best, we were 60 per cent there."

All-rounder Chase said: "I'm very pleased. It is always good to start the tournament with a win and I'm glad I was able to do that for the team.

"I knew from the bowling innings it was always hard for new batters. I just gave myself the best chance and backed my skills that once I got in I could get the ball away.

"I have been putting in a lot of hard work so I just backed that. I have the confidence to bring it out in games and it is working out for me.

"PNG are not an A-list team but they deserve to be here and we're not underestimating anyone. We treated them like an India or Australia but we probably lacked a bit of intensity at the start."

PNG captain Vala said: "It was a competitive score but we believe we missed a trick at the end, another 10 or 15 runs would've been nice. From the wickets we lost early on, I was really happy with 136.

"We are really happy with the way we fought. We got wickets in key moments and I'm really happy with the effort from the bowlers.

"It's an opportunity and a challenge we look forward to. We try to play the best cricket against the best players. The effort was really good and we need to take that effort and energy into the game against Sri Lanka."