02 June,2024 10:41 PM IST | New York | mid-day online correspondent
Sese Bau (Pic: AFP)
Papua New Guinea batter Sese Bau became just the second player for the nation to put up a fifty in the T20 World Cup 2024.
With his exceptional stroke play, Bau was the driving force for PNG in the first innings at the Province Stadium. With PNG tottering at 7/2 in the third over, Bau showed his composure and helped PNG to put a total to defend in the T20 World Cup 2024.
With a single on the first ball of the 16th over, Bau raised his bat for a fifty. The left-handed batter became the second player for PNG to score a fifty in the T20 World Cup. PNG captain Assad Vala was the first player to achieve the feat following his 56(43) against Oman in 2021.
Bau and Vala tried to string up a partnership to pull PNG back into the game. They tried to brush off the pressure with Vala sending the ball into the stands over extra cover. A tossed-up delivery followed by the sweet sound of timing saw the ball clear the rope with ease.
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After Vala's dismissal, Bau stayed on the crease and kept the scoreboard ticking by picking boundaries at every possible opportunity.
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Wickets kept falling on the other end, but Bau didn't stop to find the fence on deliveries that fell in his hitting zone. His 44-run stand with Charles Amini was the driving force in PNG's total.
He struck 50 off 43 deliveries which was laced with six boundaries and a sole towering six. Bau's record-breaking time on the field came to an end after Joseph clipped the bails off the stumps with a slower off-cutter.
During the mid-innings, Bau reflected on his knock and said, "The pitch was slow to start off with and then got hard. I just trusted my batting and kept going. The bowlers should stick to their plans and execute if they do that then we will win."
Chad Soper (10) and Kiplin Doriga's (27') influential cameos towards the end propelled PNG to 136/8.
(With agency inputs)
