The ultimate poster boys of T20 cricket, West Indies, play their first game of the T20 World Cup against Papua New Guinea at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana, on June 2. This will be a key Group C clash between the two-time tournament winners and the relative newcomers.
West Indies, champions in 2012 and 2016, will go into the match riding high on a 3-0 T20I series victory over South Africa. Impressively, they won the series without several first-choice players, who were participating in the IPL at the time. For the tournament opener, stars like Andre Russell and Rovman Powell are back in the squad.
Nicolas Pooran is expected to play a crucial role in the middle order, while the team also boasts significant firepower with Powell, Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, and Romario Shepherd. This line-up makes West Indies one of the most formidable batting units in the tournament.
In the bowling department, Obed McCoy and Alzarri Joseph will lead the pace attack, supported by their all-rounders. The spin responsibilities will be handled by Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein, with Roston Chase adding depth as a spin-bowling all-rounder.
On the other hand, Papua New Guinea (PNG) faces a challenging task in this fixture. To bolster their chances, they have enlisted Phil Simmons as a specialist coach, who brings invaluable experience from his time with the West Indies. PNG's batting lineup, which has struggled in practice games, will rely on top-order players like Sese Bau, Assad Vala, and Tony Ura, with Kiplin Doriga and Charles Amini expected to play significant roles in the middle order.
In terms of bowling, Norman Vanua and John Kariko should share the new ball, while Alei Nao will look to build on his two-wicket haul in a recent warm-up match against Oman.
WI vs PNG: Pitch Report
The match is set to take place at Providence Stadium in Guyana, where the pitch is expected to be on the slower side. Early moisture might assist the seam bowlers, with some lateral movement. Average scores at this venue typically fall within the range of 150-160 runs.
WI vs PNG: HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
This encounter marks the first-ever T20I meeting between the West Indies and Papua New Guinea.
WI vs PNG: Probable Playing XIs
West Indies: Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Rovman Powell (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie.
Papua New Guinea: Tony Ura, Sesa Bau, Assad Vala (C), Lega Siaka, Hiri Hiri, Charles Amini, Chad Soper, Kiplin Doriga (wk), Alei Nao, Norman Vanua, John Kariko.
WI vs PNG: Toss Time
The first ball of the match will be bowled at 8:00 PM (IST), with the toss taking place at 7:30 PM (IST).
In exclusive arrangement with RevSportz
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