Cricket PNG said the team produced a dominant campaign throughout the qualifier.
Photo: Cricket East Asia-Pacific
The PNG Barramundis finished top of the table and were crowned league champions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific (EAP) sub-regional qualifier in Japan this week.
Three wins from four matches in the Super Six stage saw the Papua New Guineans secure eight points to finish ahead of Japan, which also claimed three wins in the series when the competition ended on Monday evening.
The Barramundis finished ahead of the hosts on net run rate, with an impressive net run rate of +2.1200, scoring 751 runs across 100 overs, while restricting opposition teams to 539 runs from their allotted 100 overs.
Cricket PNG said the team produced a dominant campaign throughout the qualifier, recording victories against Indonesia, Cook Islands, Samoa and Vanuatu, while suffering only one defeat in their final match of the Super Six, against Japan, on Monday.
In group play, PNG defeated South Korea by 136 runs in their first game and beat Cook Islands by 49 runs in their second round-robon match.
In the Super Six, the Barramundis pipped Samoa by two wickets in a close 115 runs for and 112 runs against match, defeated Indonesia by 38 runs, proved too strong for Vanuatu to win by 147 runs but lost by 26 runs to Japan in their only loss.
The PNG Barramundis team during the qualifiers in Japan.
Photo: Cricket PNG
Samoa and Cook Islands both completed the tournament with six points, while Vanuatu and Indonesia rounded out the standings.
Of the Pacific Island teams that competed, Fiji was the only team that could not get a win.
The side lost both their group matches to Japan and Vanuatu, failing to make it into the Super Six.
They lost their opening game to Vanuatu by 121 runs, scoring just 48 runs against Vanuatu’s 169.
They scored better against Japan, claiming 74 runs against Japan’s 75, and lost by eight wickets in the end.
“The tournament, played in Japan from 12-18 May 2026, brought together six nations from the East Asia-Pacific region competing for progression opportunities toward the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup pathway,” Cricket PNG said.
“PNG’s strong all-round performances across the tournament highlighted the team’s consistency with both bat and ball, including dominant victories and disciplined bowling displays throughout the competition.”
The top four qualifiers will now await further details regarding the qualification pathway and progression to the next stage of the 2028 T20 World Cup qualifiers from the International Cricket Council.
