PNG vs SCO Prediction: Who will win UAE Summer T20 Bash 2021, Match 4?
PNG and Scotland will lock horns in Match No. 4 of the UAE Summer T20 Bash 2021 on Thursday, October 8 at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai.
PNG, led by Assad Vala, have had a tough time of late. They have lost all of their last 12 matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two 2019-22. In fact, PNG are the only team who couldn’t open their account in the championship and had a net run rate of -0.679.
In their previous game, Oman beat PNG by three wickets after chasing down 151 with as many as 14.1 overs to spare. However, PNG can be a force to reckon with in T20Is. In 26 T20Is, PNG have won 17 matches and lost eight. In their previous game against Scotland, they lost by four runs.
Back in 2019, PNG ended as the runners-up in the Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier where they lost to Netherlands by seven wickets in the final in Dubai. In fact, they had won six out of eight matches in the tournament. Scotland can’t afford to take the team lightly by any means.
Scotland, led by Kyle Coetzer, on the other hand, are a more experienced unit than PNG in international cricket. Back in September, Scotland took part in a three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. They started the series with a seven-run victory.
However, they lost the next two games by 10 runs and six wickets respectively to concede the series 1-2. But Scotland can draw confidence from the fact that they won three games in the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two in 2019-22. In two games, they also beat PNG quite comprehensively.
Can PNG beat Scotland in the next game?
PNG have been heavily dependent on their skipper Assad Vala to deliver. If he fails, PNG crumble like a house of cards. Scotland, on the contrary, depend on a combined effort.
Coetzer and Co. have far more experience and will go into the game as the firm favorites. PNG need to pull a rabbit out of their hat to beat Scotland, keeping in mind both teams’ recent form in international cricket.
Prediction: Scotland to win the match.