Papua New Guinea skipper determined to ensure T20 World Cup spot not a one-off, but Hong Kong stand in the way
- Assad Vala’s side are preparing for next week’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B, where they will face Netherlands, Hong Kong and Uganda
- Two spots for the main event in October are up for grabs at tournament in Zimbabwe
Papua New Guinea captain Assad Vala is determined to ensure his country’s maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup appearance last year was not a one-off.
Vala’s side are preparing for next week’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier B, where there are two qualification spots for October’s main event up for grabs, and will begin by taking on Netherlands on July 11, followed by games against Hong Kong and Uganda in Group B.
Some familiar foes lie in wait in the group stage, with PNG and Hong Kong facing each other on July 14, and Vala cannot wait to get going.
“We’ve played a lot against Hong Kong,” he said. “I haven’t seen their squad yet but we have a really good rivalry with them.
“I always want to do my best for the country and for this group of boys – it would be a huge achievement to qualify. Hopefully I can lead from the front and help us get to another World Cup.”
The skipper remembers the joy that followed his side’s success at this stage three years ago and believes they can repeat that performance as they look to capitalise on growing cricketing interest back home.
“We know from experience how special it is to qualify for a World Cup,” he said. “It was a dream come true. Having played for so many years and tried to get to a World Cup, to make it playing good cricket as we did was fantastic.
“We enjoyed the experience of playing in the big stadiums and we want to experience that atmosphere again. There was a lot of interest when the World Cup was on, not just in the cricket fraternity – everyone in Papua New Guinea was behind us.
