• Max O’Dowd and Tom Cooper hit brilliant half-centuries as the Netherlands beat Uganda in T20 World Cup Qualifier B.
• PNG advanced to the semi-finals for the fourth time in a row.
• Fred Klaassen’s five-wicket haul put an end to Uganda’s hopes.

T20 World Cup Qualifier B, PNG advanced to the semi-finals for the fourth time.

The decision to bat first backfired for Uganda, as the Dutch put up a substantial total, thanks in large part to brilliant knocks from Max O’Dowd and Tom Cooper. Both batsmen have been in excellent form recently and shined in their previous game. Despite losing Stephan Myburgh early in the third over for a duck, the Netherlands recovered quickly.

After a poor start, O’Dowd shifted to aggressive mode and smashed a 57-ball 73. Following the wicket of Bas de Leede in the seventh over, O’Dowd and Cooper shared a 121-run third-wicket stand. Cooper was undefeated on 81 off 42 balls as the Netherlands produced a total of 187/3.

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Uganda faced a difficult assignment with a massive aim to reach and a place in the semi-final on the line. But Fred Klaassen’s incredible spell put an end to their hopes. On the first two deliveries of Uganda’s innings, he dismissed Roger Mukasa and Ronak Patel. At 0/2, Uganda was in trouble, which was exacerbated when Klaassen grabbed two wickets in the third over.

He finished with a five-wicket haul in the fifth over, dismissing Uganda skipper Kenneth Waiswa. The Ugandan middle and lower order fought briefly, but their efforts were futile as wickets dropped at regular intervals. They only managed to score 90/9 in their 20 overs, falling by a whopping 97 runs.

POINTS TABLE FOR QUALIFIER B 

Match 10: PNG vs Hong Kong

Hong Kong won by 2 wickets

Toss: Hong Kong elected to bowl

PNG put up another strong batting display, building on their brilliant performance in the second game. Their start was sluggish since captain Assad Vala was killed cheaply and Lega Siaka was unable to convert his start into a massive score. However, Charles Amini and Tony Ura did an excellent job of getting PNG back on track. For the third wicket, Amini and Ura scored 59 runs. Ura continued to score runs even after Amini’s dismissal, eventually finishing with a 33-ball 83, a knock that included four fours and eight sixes. His flashy innings helped PNG reach 185/7.

Hong Kong got off to a shaky start, falling to 24/2 after three overs. In the next over, though, Babar Hayat broke the shackles by smashing Semo Kamea for three sixes. Despite losing wickets at the other end, he did not slow down and continued to play aggressively. Zeeshan Ali, who hit a 23-ball 42, assisted him. Hong Kong still needed 28 runs to win when Hayat was caught in the 17th over after hitting 86 off 45 balls. Shahid Wasif’s cameo helped them cross the line on the final ball of the match, capping off a thrilling contest.

Despite Hong Kong’s victory, PNG advanced to the semi-finals as the fourth team with a higher run rate.

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