Report card: Papua New Guinea

Results summary
Group stageLost to Bangladesh by 8 wickets
Beat United Arab Emirates by 2 wickets
Beat the Netherlands by 44 runs

Semi-finalLost to Ireland by 27 runs

Third-place play-offLost to Scotland by 10 wickets

Positives to take home
PNG had a number of players putting their hands up during the tournament, and while the close win over UAE showed off their ability to hold their nerves, they proved they can dominate opposition too when they put one over the Netherlands.

Individually, Veru Frank, Brenda Tau and Kopi John did well with the bat, while the bowlers usually performed as a unit, Mairi Tom, Ravini Oa and Vicky Ara’a standing out among them. It’s an energetic and spirited team, and should back themselves to rise higher.

Areas to improve
It didn’t quite come together for PNG against the higher-ranked teams, but there’s no shame in losing to Bangladesh and Ireland, the ones to qualify for the ICC Women’s World T20 2018, and Scotland. But that’s where PNG will look to improve, raise their game for the big stage.

Rising starSibona Jimmy: The 25-year-old all-rounder showed glimpses of her ability with both bat and ball on more than one occasion, never quite putting in a match-defining performance but contributing all the time. The 25 in the last game against Scotland was a good effort, as was the 2/11 against UAE in the match PNG won off the penultimate ball.