West Indies beat Papua New Guinea by five wickets in T20 World Cup

 GUYANA (Agencies): Co-hosts West Indies survived a scare to start their Men’s T20 World Cup campaign with a five-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea in Guyana on Sunday. They needed 37 to win off the final 19 balls, but the Windies, who are two-time champions, won with six balls to spare. Roston Chase top-scored, hitting an unbeaten 42, as his 40-run partnership with Andre Russell got them over the line after briefly being spooked by PNG. PNG’s fell to 7-2 at the start of the third over of their innings when opener Tony Ura and Lega Siaka’s expressive batting failed to pay off. Opener and captain Assad Vala added 21, with Sese Bao then adding 50 off 43 balls before being bowled by Alzarri Joseph to leave PNG 98-6. Wicketkeeper Kiplin Doriga (27 not out) added late runs as they finished 136-8.

Russell and Joseph claimed two wickets each, with Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie all taking one each. In response, West Indies opener Johnson Charles was trapped lbw by Alei Nao for a golden duck. Nao also could have dismissed Windies wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran on a duck in the second over, with the technology showing it would have been if reviewed. After surviving that early scare, Pooran put on a 53-run partnership with Brandon King before holing out on 27. Vala then dismissed King (34) and Sherfane Rutherford (2), with Windies falling from 61-1 to 97-5. Needing 37 off the last 19 balls, the experienced partnership of Chase and Russell got Windies over the line as they avoided a shock defeat. Russell ended the 17th over by pouncing on a long hop to find six before Chase hit a four off the next ball, gifted by a PNG misfield as they scored the runs required in just 13 balls. West Indies stuttered and stumbled before eventually scrambling a five-wicket win over minnows Papua New Guinea in the opening Group C encounter of the T20 World Cup in Guyana on Sunday. Set a modest target of 137, the two-time former champions were undone by clever, disciplined PNG bowling, slumping to 97 for five with only four overs left before all-rounder Roston Chase’s unbeaten 42 off 27 balls helped the co-hosts over the line with an over to spare.

Brief scores:

Papua New Guinea 136-8 (20 overs): Bau 50 (43), Russell 2-19 vs West Indies 137-5 (19 overs): Chase 42 not out (27), Vala 2-28

West Indies win by five wickets.