FIVE TEAMS ARE EQUAL WITH 4 POINTS EACH.

The table-topper of each group seals one qualification spot for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2020, as well as a semi-final berth in the qualifying tournament. The teams placed second and third in each group advance to the qualifying play-offs 1 and 2. The winners of those play-off games seal World Cup qualification and complete the semi-final line-up. The losers of play-offs 1 and 2 take on the teams ranked fourth in the group stage in the qualifying play-offs 3 and 4, with the winners claiming the final two World Cup spots, before they fight it out for fifth place in the tournament.

Papua New Guinea 180 for 4 (Doriga 43*, Amini 41*, Ura 30, Param 2-24) beat Singapore 137 for 9 (David 44, Ravu 4-18) by 43 runs

Tony Ura and Assad Vala started the good work with the bat, Charles Amini and Kiplin Doriga built on it, and then the bowlers, led by Damien Ravu, put the seal on a strong Papua New Guinea performance as they beat Singapore by 43 runs in Dubai. The result helped PNG get to eight points from five games, placing them top of the Group A table for the moment, while Singapore, after starting their campaign with a win over Scotland, have just four points from five games.

Singapore captain Amjad Mahboob asked PNG to bat upon winning the toss, and the experienced PNG opening duo of Ura and captain Vala proceeded to add 61 runs in quick time before Vala was dismissed off the last ball of the Powerplay for an 18-ball 24. Ura fell 20 runs later for a 21-ball 30 in the ninth over, and when Lega Siaka was dismissed next ball for 13, PNG did look a bit shaky at 81 for 3, which appeared worse when Sese Bau fell for 11 to leave the scoreboard reading 101 for 4.

But that brought Amini and Doriga together, and they both hit unbeaten 40s as Singapore, who had lost the services of offspinner Selladore Vijayakumar before the game after he was suspended for a suspect bowling action, wilted.

Amini ended on 41 not out off 28 balls, with two fours and a six, while Doriga’s 43 not out came off 27 balls, with two fours and two sixes. The two added an unbroken 79 runs for the fifth wicket.

Singapore’s reply started on a poor note as Surendran Chandramohan was dismissed for a diamond duck, run out without facing a ball. If that was bad, it got worse when Ravu sent back Rohan Rangarajan and Rezza Gaznavi off consecutive balls in the sixth over to leave Singapore on 37 for 3.

There was a bit of a fightback, led by Tim David, who hit a 26-ball 44, but though four others – Aritra Dutta, Navin Param, Vinoth Baskaran and Avi Dixit – got into double figures, there wasn’t the one other big knock that could have helped David pull off an unlikely win, Ravu’s 4 for 18 making it simpler for PNG.

Singapore’s last group-stage match will be against Namibia tomorrow, while PNG’s final fixture is against Kenya the day after.

From https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8040/report/1199529/papua-new-guinea-vs-singapore-31st-match-group-a-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-qualifier-2019-20

Our Singapore O35s have won an absolute low scoring thriller against England at the Montague Arena in CapeTown.

Batting first Singapore only managed double digits in one skin and put on 37 in their allocated 16 overs.

Coming into bowl our boys knew they had to give it their all, and so they did.

During some tensed moments, our boys showed brilliance in the field managing to impact 10 run-outs and in the process restricting England to 34 runs.

Singapore in the process winning by 3 runs and also securing 2 skins for the game.

This is now Singapore’s 3rd win in their World Masters Campaign!

Superb effort from the boys! Majulah Singapura!

Kenya 159 for 3 (Karim 71*, Gandhi 50, Mahmood 2-30) beat Singapore 157 for 9 (Chandramohan 40, David 29, Otieno 3-29, Oluoch 3-22, Ngoche 2-32) by 7 wickets

Irfan Karim and 19-year-old debutant Aman Gandhi propelled Kenya’s chase with a 110-run opening stand at ICC Academy Oval 2, setting the platform for a seven-wicket win over Singapore to keep Group A wide open.

Karim was named Man of the Match for his chanceless unbeaten 71, but Lucas Oluoch was an unsung hero on the day, giving Kenya a huge momentum lift into the break with a triple-wicket maiden in the final over of Singapore’s innings. All of Singapore’s No. 2-6 batsmen crossed 20 in a fine composite innings from the squad. Tim David provided the early momentum with a series of sweeps for boundaries in his 29 off 19 balls before he was second man out to make it 36 for 2.

Surendran Chandramohan carted Nelson Odhiambo for a six and two fours as part of a 20-run 11th over to put Singapore in the ascendancy at 84 for 2 before he fell to Shem Ngoche, driving to long-off for a top-score of 40 off 30 balls in the innings. Manpreet Singh replaced him at No. 5 and provided an excellent knock scoring off his first 16 deliveries, pinching a series of well run twos through midwicket along the way to keep the pressure on Kenya in the field as Singapore entered the final over on 156 for 6 and Manpreet on 24.

But the wheels came off against Oluoch at the death. Sidhant Singh was bounced out edging a pull through to the keeper off the first ball. After a bye was stolen next ball to get Manpreet back on strike, he failed to get bat on ball on the third delivery before hooking to deep square leg on the fourth. Captain Amjad Mahboob missed a wild slog on the fifth ball before he was bowled missing another heave off the last ball to give Oluoch his third, ending one of the overs of the tournament.

Karim and Gandhi started off the chase in brisk fashion. The pair swept Vinoth Baskaran’s left-arm spin for a boundary each in the fourth over before Gandhi flicked Sidhant’s medium pace for six over midwicket in the sixth to end the Powerplay at 50 for 0. Karim scored at least one boundary in seven of the first 10 overs, taking command after the Powerplay as he brought up his 50 off 32 balls in the 12th over.

MCCU-Cardiff student Gandhi took a bit longer, reaching his half-century off 45 balls to end the 14th over. It was the last run in their partnership as Gandhi began the 15th over slogging a catch to long-on off Mahboob. As Karim began to tire in the stifling heat, his new partners took care of the lusty hitting to get Kenya across the line. Dhiren Gondaria slammed a straight six off Tim David as part of a 15-run 16th over before he was run out in the 17th by a direct hit from midwicket by Rezza Gaznavi.

Singapore’s last hope of a turnaround disappeared when Aahan Achar spilled Collins Obuya over the rope at deep third man for six on Obuya’s first ball. Another six was straight driven off Mahboob in the 18th over before he fell at cow corner with the target in single digits. Rakep Patel ended the match on the fifth ball of the 19th over, scooping Janak Prakash over fine leg. The result moves Kenya level on points with Singapore but ahead of them in fourth place on the net run rate tiebreaker, with two matches left to go in Group A.

From https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8040/report/1199522/kenya-vs-singapore-24th-match-group-a-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-qualifier-2019-20

For photos, please visit https://www.icc-cricket.com/photos/1463464

Netherlands 104 for 5 (O’Dowd 35, Ackermann 34*) beat Singapore 101 (Chandramohan 28, van der Gugten 3-9, van der Merwe 3-22) by five wickets

Somerset allrounder Roelof van der Merwe spearheaded the Netherlands past Singapore, taking three wickets with his left-arm spin before calming Oranje nerves in a tricky chase to strike the winning runs for a five-wicket victory on Tuesday.

After Singapore went through the Powerplay unscathed, the wily veteran struck a huge blow on the first ball of the seventh over to beat Singapore batsman Tim David’s drive and knock back the stumps for 19. He struck again in the 12th over, enticing Manpreet Singh to drive to long-off before rounding off his spell with a successful lbw appeal after Sidhant Singh played back to a skiddy ball off a good length.

Van der Merwe was well supported by the Dutch pace unit – particularly Timm van der Gugten, who missed the birth of his first-born child to stay with the Dutch squad in Dubai and was rewarded with figures of 3 for 9 off three overs.

Surendran Chandramohan was the first of van der Gugten’s scalps, driving flat to Colin Ackermann at mid-off for a top score of 28. Van der Gugten later came back to clean up the tail in the 18th over, claiming Selladore Vijayakumar caught behind driving and Amjad Mahboob bowled after he was beaten for pace.

Navin Param, the star of Singapore’s win over Bermuda, entered at No. 5 but quickly ran out of partners thanks to van der Merwe and van der Gugten. He was last man out for 13 when his attempted scoop off Paul van Meekeren was tracked down halfway to the fine leg rope by wicketkeeper Scott Edwards, who pulled off a magnificent one-handed diving catch to end the innings.

What looked like an opportunity for the Dutch to go for a net run rate boost soon turned into an awkward endeavor due to a gritty effort from Singapore’s bowling and fielding unit. Tobias Visee drove to long-on in the second over and Ben Cooper edged a back foot drive behind to end the third over at 16 for 2. Max O’Dowd had been peppering the off-side boundary, including a trail of fours off Mahboob in the fourth over, but finally perished in the ninth after a failed charge to Vijayakumar.

Ryan ten Doeschate was then yorked for 1 by the 19-year-old Janak Prakash before Pieter Seelaar chipped a low full toss off the toe of the bat to David at midwicket off Sidhant to make it 65 for 5 in the 12th.

Van der Merwe had entered at No. 5 and No. 6 in the first two Dutch wins but was pushed back to No. 7 on this occasion with Ackermann coming into the XI for his first match of the tournament at the expense of Fred Klaassen, who was suffering from heatstroke. Van der Merwe’s experience paid off as he settled nerves to give Ackermann the support he needed to ice the chase. Van Der Merwe eventually struck a full toss over square leg for the winning runs with 21 balls to spare at ICC Academy Oval 1.

From https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8040/report/1199518/netherlands-vs-singapore-20th-match-group-a-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-qualifier-2019-20

For photos, please visit: https://www.icc-cricket.com/photos/1462714

Singapore O35s have started off their Masters Campaign with a close win over the mighty Indians.

India won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring 62 runs in their allotted 16 overs.

Singapore chasing lost the first two skins, but ended up winning the next two and closed off the game with 69 on the board.

Congrats to our O35s boys. Majulah Singapura!

Next game against the NZ O35s this afternoon. Stay tuned.

In the third game, our O35s beat the Lankans by 35 runs.

Singapore secured the first 3 skins and fought tooth and nail to defend a -4 skin for their fourth.

The Lankans eventually winning the skin by 1 run.

Singapore secures 6 points for the win.

Majulah Singapura! Our boys on their ride back to the hotel.

Navin Param is carried off the field after his unbeaten 72 off 41 balls took Singapore home

Singapore 152 for 5 (Param 72*) beat Bermuda 149 for 7 (Tucker 50*, Prakash 3-44) by five wickets

On the opening day of tournament play, Singapore won a thriller by defending seven off the final over against Scotland. Tasked with scoring nine in the last over against Bermuda, they only needed three deliveries to clinch another dramatic affair in Dubai. Navin Param was the hero with his unbeaten 72 off 41 balls.

Param entered with Singapore in serious trouble at 41 for 4 in the ninth over chasing a target of 150 after Bermuda grabbed momentum thanks to a pair of stunning one-handed catches in the space of nine deliveries. Aritra Dutta’s cut off Rodney Trott was intercepted by a salmon leap by Kamau Leverock at backward point before 44-year-old Janeiro Tucker knifed a scorching drive in his follow-through to dismiss Singapore’s star batsman Tim David.

But Param and Manpreet Singh kept their cool to construct a 79-run stand. After scoring 11 off his first 12 deliveries, Param started to open up against Malachin Jones in the 13th over, scooping him over fine leg to the boundary. It became his go-to shot throughout the chase – Param said afterward that he drew on his skills as a former hockey player for the unorthodox wristwork – contributing to a chunk of his seven fours and four sixes. It also forced a costly mental error from Bermuda.

With 30 needed off the final three overs, Manpreet was done in as he charged at Bermuda captain Dion Stovell and the game was back in the balance.

Only, after a single by Janak Prakash put Param on strike on 48, Stovell moved Rodney Trott from backward point to backward square leg when there was already a deep backward square and short fine leg in place. The next ball was reverse swept through the newly created gap on the off side for four to bring up Param’s 31-ball fifty. The umpires finally caught on to the field in the subsequent delivery and called a no-ball – teams can’t have three fielders behind square on the leg side – and Param whacked the free hit straight down the ground for another four.

A misguided slower bouncer from Leverock was flat-batted for a straight six by Param in the 19th over before the bowler overstepping gave Singapore one more bonus run. On strike to start the final over against medium pacer George O’Brien, Param executed one more scoop for six over fine leg. A single put Prakash on strike, who ended the match with a straight drive over the now crowded infield for four.

The match-clinching boundary capped a brilliant day for Prakash. Having been hit in the head by a Kyle Coetzer drive two days ago, he took the field again with his head bandaged up and took three wickets in the final overs.

Bermuda started the day with a maiden after choosing to bat at the toss and played out two more scoreless overs later in the innings as they struggled to get singles around their ability to clear the ropes. The ageless Tucker lifted Bermuda out of early trouble with an unbeaten 50 off 34 balls at No. 5. Combined with his one-handed catch to claim David, it looked like enough to galvanise Bermuda to victory before Param’s heroics stole the show.

From  https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8040/report/1199510/bermuda-vs-singapore-12th-match-group-a-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-qualifier-2019-20

On the eve of his 24th birthday, it was Navin Param who gifted a thrilling victory to his Singapore teammates with a brilliantly crafted 72 not out off 41 balls that helped his team come from behind and stun Bermuda.

A core feature of Param’s innings was his use of sweeps, reverse sweeps, scoops, ramps to score the bulk of his seven fours and four sixes behind square. The middle-order batsman said afterward that his background as a hockey player growing up enabled him to have the confidence in his unorthodox arsenal.

“It’s fortunate that I actually started off playing hockey first before I played cricket,” Param said after the win. “So growing up, I kind of use what I’ve learnt in hockey, the strong wrists and manipulation of the ball when you play hockey, so I just transfer those skills over to cricket which makes my cricket technique not as orthodox.

“So given that, over the years that I’ve worked with my coaches as well and my mentors, that’s where I have got that 360 [degree] sort of gameplay. Today was just one of those days where it really clicked and all the hard work paid off. Basically when I bat, it’s just looking at where the gaps are and putting the ball into those gaps.”

Param entered at No. 6 at the fall of star batsman Tim David, who was dismissed cheaply for the second match in a row. Yet, Singapore has not fallen apart on either occasion thanks to contributions from the likes of Param. In and out of the team since making his senior debut as a 19-year-old in 2014, Param had gone two years since his last appearance before being recalled in September for Cricket World Cup Challenge League in Malaysia. He scored 66 in a win over the hosts and carried that form into this event.

“In our team, everyone has their own responsibilities and their targets to meet,” Param said. “So I understand for my role, if I were to just hit my target, I know that eventually the team would get the desired result.

“When you look at it that way, it’s a different mindset going into the game. You just do what you need to do as batsman. When you’re in the game, you’re just trying your best to get the singles and doubles and the odd boundary will come because bowlers will make mistakes at some point in the game because they are under pressure too.”

Param also said the team has been galvanised by the efforts of his roommate on tour, Janak Prakash. The 19-year-old allrounder was struck in the head in his follow-through by a drive from Kyle Coetzer in Singapore’s opening match, creating a gash on his forehead. But after being escorted off the field, Prakash only missed 17 balls before coming back to help Singapore to victory. He took three wickets against Bermuda at the death on Sunday too, not to mention hitting the winning boundary over mid-on to seal the chase after Param’s legwork.

“When he first got hit, everyone got shocked,” Param said. “But seeing him coming back on the field, not after 10 or 15 overs but immediately after only 10 minutes, he just got it wrapped up and came back, that’s fantastic. That boosts the morale of the team drastically and that pushes us forward as a team because we understand that regardless of injuries, we are not one man down and he did show up and did perform.

“It just feels fantastic to have a team player like that and a friend of mine, who is also my roommate. So with that, the team morale has been fantastic and of course after this win I’m sure that God willing we can take this attitude of the team forward and win the rest of the matches and hopefully to win the tournament.”

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27887065/singapore-navin-param-credits-hockey-skills-match-winning-knock?fbclid=IwAR0PB6BRj4VNWr96WHODUGX2-FwAQqG1ky9LY8t0EYc1wN-Dg_SHOxI01W0

Singapore 168 for 6 (Chandramohan 51, Dutta 32, Davey 2-26, Sharif 2-28) beat Scotland 166 for 9 (Munsey 46, MacLeod 44, Coetzer 38, Vijayakumar 3-16, Sidhant 2-27, Mahboob 2-36) by two runs

If anyone thought Singapore’s victory over Zimbabwe last month was a one-off shocker, it wasn’t, as Scotland found out the hard way in the opening match of the men’s T20 World Cup qualifiers. The defending co-champions tripped at the final hurdle on the day in Dubai, unable to score eight off the last over as Singapore captain Amjad Mahboob bowled a sterling 20th to see his side across by two runs defending 168.

Calum MacLeod looked like he was going to take Scotland across the line after sparking a stirring fightback with Tom Sole. Singapore were well ahead of the game with Scotland needing 38 off 19 balls before MacLeod ended the 17th with a six over midwicket and Sole started the 18th sweeping Tim David‘s offspin twice through the gap at square leg and deep midwicket for fours. With 24 needed off 16, Scotland continued to pick off twos at will across the next two overs, only suffering a brief hiccup when Tim David ran out Sole with an athletic stop off his own bowling to end the 18th.

Safyaan Sharif was on strike to start the 20th but Mahboob bowled a dot and a single to start off the frame. MacLeod then just couldn’t get enough power to clear David at deep midwicket, falling for 44. After a two by Sharif took it down to five off two balls, he chipped in the air towards David once again, and the fielder covered 20 yards running left before pulling off a sensational diving catch. It meant Josh Davey was on strike needing four to tie and force a super over or six to win. But he scuffed a slog along the ground to David at deep midwicket for two to end the match.

The pressure had been building earlier in the chase, though, thanks to Selladore Vijayakumar‘s miserly offspin. His spell of 3 for 16 in four overs neutralised the roaring start by George Munsey, who reverse-swept left-arm spinner Vinoth Baskaran at will in the Powerplay for a series of fours and sixes over backward point. But the innings lost momentum after Munsey drove to long-on for 46 and the other batsmen struggled to get going the rest of the way.

Earlier, Singapore’s fighting total came as a result of two contrasting knocks. They had lost two wickets in the first seven balls after being sent in, including the dangerous David for just 1, bowled by Sharif. But Aritra Dutta entered at No. 4 and counter-attacked with a streaky knock, including two top-edged sixes over fine leg, before pulling a third over deep square-leg off a free hit after an Alasdair Evans no-ball.

Dutta’s 32 off 15 balls allowed Surendran Chandramohan to recover from a slow start. Having been 6 off 21 balls, Chandramohan eventually reached his half-century off 53 deliveries to give Singapore a fighting chance. Janak Prakash’s late cameo of 20 off 11 and a key six in the last over by Navin Param during his 13 not out off seven balls ensured Singapore had just enough to defend in the end.

From

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/8040/report/1199499/scotland-vs-singapore-1st-match-group-a-icc-mens-t20-world-cup-qualifier-2019-20

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019: All you need to know

KEY FACTS:

1.Top six teams qualify to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia 2020. They will join Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first round of the tournament, with the top two in each group joining Australia, Pakistan, India, New Zealand, England, South Africa, West Indies and Afghanistan in the Super 12 stage.