New Zealand concluded their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign with a resounding victory over Papua New Guinea, securing a comfortable seven-wicket win. This win enabled New Zealand to salvage some pride after a mixed tournament, finishing in third place in Group C with two wins and two losses.
The run-chase of 79 runs started with New Zealand losing opener Finn Allen for a duck, but a valuable partnership between Devon Conway and captain Kane Williamson steadied the innings. Despite a slow start, Conway’s aggressive batting and the composed approach of Williamson and Daryl Mitchell led New Zealand to victory.
In the match, New Zealand chose to bowl first after winning the toss. Their bowlers, including Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, and Mitchell Santner, delivered an outstanding performance. Notably, Lockie Ferguson’s historic bowling spell, where he took three wickets without conceding a run, played a pivotal role in restricting Papua New Guinea to 78/10 in 19.4 overs.
This clinical all-round performance by New Zealand, characterized by Lockie Ferguson’s exceptional bowling, enabled them to end their T20 World Cup journey on a high note.