Kabua Morea encapsulates Papua New Guinea's endless spirit

NICK FRIEND: Kyle Coetzer joins Morea's diverse list of international victims, including Vanuatu’s Nalin Nipiko in the 2015 Pacific Games, but also Sanju Samson and Imam-ul-Haq at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup

Here’s a piece of trivia for you: Papua New Guinea’s first wicket in men’s World Cup cricket was taken by Kabua Morea: Kyle Coetzer, Scotland’s captain, bowled for a moment of history.

He joins Morea’s diverse list of international victims, including Vanuatu’s Nalin Nipiko in the 2015 Pacific Games, but also Sanju Samson and Imam-ul-Haq at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup.

It is a reminder of what is at stake here for a country determined to enjoy itself on the big stage, having qualified in second place two winters ago – ahead of Ireland, Namibia, Scotland and Oman.

Until preparations began earlier this month, they hadn’t played a single T20I in the time since – partly a legacy of the pandemic, of course, but either way hardly ideal.

The landmark wicket should have come in the tournament opener against Oman, only for a team that prides itself on its fielding to let slip a couple of presentable opportunities in the deep en route to a 10-wicket defeat. Perhaps there were nerves then, but Morea swinging a slower delivery back into Coetzer’s off-stump was a purer manner through which to bring up the milestone. In the next over, they had their first catch too, albeit belatedly: George Munsey, who began like a man meaning business, clothing to deep midwicket.

Richie Berrington and Matt Cross took the game away from them thereafter on a very decent pitch that provided the platform for Berrington, the world’s third-ranked T20I allrounder, by the ICC’s metrics, to swing away three enormous sixes.

But it is in the nature of this Papua New Guinea side to fight back, and they have brought plenty to this T20 World Cup, even in two heavy losses. For one, their kit is a beauty – easily the best in a tournament offering a strong selection. But more so, their sense of companionship founded on a tight-knit community back home that has been well-documented in recent days.

They kept one another going in the field to such an extent that six Scottish wickets fell in the last 10 balls of their innings – three of them to Morea – as a score at one point destined for 190 petered out to something far less match-defining.

^{Richie Berrington's 70 ultimately ensured that Scotland had too many for PNG to chase}

Either way, it ultimately was too many to chase for a team that has never successfully reeled in more than 127 for victory and didn’t for a long while look like doing so here: Tony Ura, Lega Siaka, Assad Vala, Charles Amini and Simon Atai all fell inside the first six overs. The frustration for coaches Carl Sandri and Chadd Sayers, no doubt, is that the obvious talent of individuals has not translated into significant scores in these last few days.

Vala and Ura each made more than 190 runs in the qualifying competition, while Amini has looked as fluent as anyone in any team so far, which made his careless runout all the more frustrating on this occasion, especially when Norman Vanua and Kiplin Doriga added 53 runs in 4.5 overs in a gloriously cavalier counterattack to show what might have been, if only the top six could have built a steadier base: from 35 for 5, they reached 148.

Morea only faced one ball but hit it for six, while Chad Soper lofted one of the cleaner strokes this ground in Al Amarat might ever have witnessed. It came in vain, but their cameos forced Scotland to think – both about how to see their backs, but also what it means going forward.

It has made Scotland’s life more difficult, no question. They are almost through – and still will be if Oman beat Bangladesh – but a Bangladesh victory could well set up a winner-takes-all encounter between Scotland and Oman, with Oman’s net run rate significantly higher at present after their comprehensive thumping of Papua New Guinea, who are all but out.

Morea, though, ensured they left the field with a piece of history in tow, before Vanua once again demonstrated his nation’s endless spirit.

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