Rain Denies Vanuatu After Early Breakthroughs in Tournament Opener

Vanuatu take on world-ranked 13th PNG Lewas today

Vanuatu were left frustrated in their opening match of the PacificAus Sports Cricket Invitational on Sunday after rain forced an abandonment with Samoa in early trouble at 12 for 2 after just 1.3 overs at Amini Park, Port Moresby.

18-year-old off-spinner Vanessa Vira struck with the very first ball of the second innings, trapping Faaiuga Poutu LBW to give Vanuatu immediate momentum. In the second over, skipper Rachel Andrew recovered from an uncharacteristically loose start to claim a wicket of her own, caught by Leimauri Chilia, before the heavens opened and brought a premature end to proceedings.

Vanuatu line up for the national anthem before their tournament opener against Samoa

After being sent in, Vanuatu posted 116 for 9 from their 20 overs, with Valenta Langiatu anchoring the innings with 34 off 40. She combined early with Nassamana Navaika (27 off 28) to push the score past 50 before wickets fell in clusters.

Susan Stephen was the standout in the middle order with a dynamic 19 off 11, including three boundaries, but the innings lost momentum late, with several batters struggling to accelerate.

Seven bowlers were used, with Taalili Iosefo the pick of the attack claiming 3 for 19.

Full scorecard details in the link here.

Head Coach Chris Laffan said:

“The team’s feeling really well prepared to face PNG today, and having the opportunity for our bowling attack to get back onto a turf wicket is something we’re looking forward to. The focus will be on our set batters going on with their scores, as we felt we left a few runs out there yesterday against Samoa.

This tournament for us is all about taking away as much experience as we can from the Australian Indigenous, PNG and Samoan teams as we build towards September’s EAP Qualifier. At the same time, we’re focused on delivering strong, consistent performances to assert ourselves as a major player in the region.”

Vanuatu will next face 13th-ranked Papua New Guinea in a highly anticipated Melanesian clash today at Amini Park. First ball is scheduled for the new starting time, half an hour earlier for all games, of 1:30pm local time (2:30pm Vanuatu time).

Starts of our first game L to R: Valenta Langiatu, Nasimana Navaika, Vanessa Vira (R)