PAPUA NEW GUINEA SECURE THEIR SPOT IN THE ICC MEN'S T20 WORLD CUP NEXT YEAR, 2024

Tournament hosts Papua New Guinea went into the ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific Qualifier as favourites, and they well and truly proved themselves at the Qualifier stage with dominant performances.

Assad Vala's men maintained a solid report card with wins in each of the five games played so far, twice against Vanuatu and the Philippines and once against Japan.

With their latest win against the Philippines, the PNG now have 10 points from five wins, meaning their place in the 2024 T20 World Cup is confirmed with one game to go, against Japan, on Saturday, 29 July.

The PNG began their qualification dream with a dominant win against Vanuatu. The 19-year-old John Kariko led the bowling attack with a Player of the Match-worthy returns of 3/6, restricting Vanuatu to 71/8. The tournament hosts chased down the target in just 6.3 overs, sealing a comfortable nine-wicket win. 

In their next outing, PNG made headlines against the Philippines thanks to Kabua Morea's sizzling five-wicket haul which also featured a hat-trick. After opting to bat, PNG posted a competitive 162/7. Morea wreaked havoc with his spell of 5/9 as the Philippines crumbled for 45.

They continued their winning streak by securing comfortable wins against Japan and Vanuatu in the next two games, sealing victories by six wickets and 39 runs respectively. 

In their latest encounter on Friday, PNG once again showcased their calibre as they cruised past the Philippines with a 100-run win in Port Moresby. An impressive 118-run opening partnership set up the hosts for a massive score of 229/6 in their 20 overs.

The target proved too high for Philippines as the PNG bowlers restricted them to 129/7 and secured their qualification.