The Stats Zone
October 31 2019, 11:21 · Rob Esteva

Papua New Guinea vs Namibia – ICC T20 World Cup Qualifying Semi-final Preview & Prediction

Papua New Guinea vs Namibia – ICC T20 World Cup Qualifying Semi-final Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

When is Papua New Guinea vs Namibia taking place? Friday, November 1st (15:30 UK time)

Where is Papua New Guinea vs Namibia taking place? Dubai International Cricket Stadium

What is the expected weather for Papua New Guinea vs Namibia? 35c and sunshine all day

What channel is Papua New Guinea vs Namibia on? This match will be televised live on Sky Sports Cricket

Where can I stream Papua New Guinea vs Namibia? This match can be streamed live on the SkyGo app

Where can I get tickets for Papua New Guinea vs Namibia? Tickets for this match can be purchased directly at the stadium

LAST MEETING
Papua New Guinea beat Namibia by 81 runs

THE TEAM NEWS

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

  • Papua New Guinea come into this semi-final clash with Namibia safe in the knowledge that a 2020 T20 World Cup place is already assured, and they can now attempt to try win this qualifying tournament in Dubai.
  • They come up against a Namibia side that they have already beaten once earlier in the tournament by 81 runs and they will look to repeat that performance after a strong batting performance laid the foundations as they hit 197/7 when batting first.
  • Assad Vala was the star of the show in that victory having smashed 48 with the bat and then following that up with 3/19 from his three overs and they will look for him to repeat that performance and lead them to the final here.

NAMIBIA

  • Namibia come into this clash with PNG having beaten Oman last time out in the second qualifying play-off to qualify for the 2020 T20 World Cup and they can finally relax and enjoy the latter end of this knockout phase now after achieving their goal.
  • After losing their opening two matches in the group stage to Netherlands and PNG, they responded in impressive fashion by winning their next five matches, and confidence is high coming into this rematch with PNG.
  • Bowling duo Bernard Scholz (3/14) and Gerhard Erasmus (3/19) were key in the 54-run win over Oman in the play-off and they have been two of the better bowlers in this tournament so far, and they will be key in them attempting to slow the PNG batsmen down.

THE PREDICTION

Barring a narrow loss to Scotland midway through the group phase, Papua New Guinea have arguably been the standout team in this qualifying tournament so far. They already recorded an emphatic win over Namibia earlier in the competition, and they will have plenty of confidence that they can repeat this. Both teams have already qualified for the T20 World Cup by reaching this stage so that could see them relax a little now, but PNG’s greater quality should see them win here and reach the final.