Papua New Guinea produced a stunning batting display to beat the Netherlands by five wickets in their Intercontinental Cup cricket match in Amsterdam overnight.
Resuming on 66 for 2, man of the match Assad Vala anchored the Barramundi's innings with an unbeaten knock of 124, and combined with Mahura Dai for a 200-run stand for the fifth wicket, to guide the visitors to their victory target of 305 with more than a day to spare.
Head coach Dipak Patel says it's a huge achievement for a team that hasn't played a competitive match for more than three months and is very inexperienced in the longer form of the game.
"You never felt that we were behind the eight ball - we just needed to, in many ways, with the bat and ball just have a couple of sessions where we could get on top of them. Today was a classic example: the proof was there that these guys can play the longer form of the game because this is the first time they've ever played - let alone a two-day game or three-day game - this is the first time they've ever played a four-day game so, when you take that into consideration, it's a fantastic feat".
The Barramundi's will now swap their whites for coloured uniforms, with two World Cricket League 50 over matches next week.
Papua New Guinea batsmen Assad Vala. Photo: Supplied
