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The 2024 edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup kicked off with full grandeur in the USA and West Indies on Sunday, (June 2). In the inaugural clash of the tournament, co-hosts USA were up against Canada, and the formers registered a seven-wicket win. In the second clash of the ICC event, the West Indies took on Papua New Guinea at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The match saw the Windies skipper Rovman Powell winning the toss and inviting the rivals to bat first.
Papua New Guinea, who made their second ICC Men’s T20 World Cup appearance got off to a shaky start. Things seemed to be off-track for PNG until Sese Bau, their middle-order batter came in and scored a crucial half-century off 43 deliveries. With his knock, Bau guided the team’s total to 136 with the loss of eight wickets.
Not only this, but with this, Bau also etched his name into PNG cricket history as he became the second batter from his country to score a fifty in the T20 World Cup. The 31-year-old batter followed the footsteps of skipper Assad Vala, who achieved the same milestone against Oman in the 2021 edition of the marquee tournament. Bau hit six fours and one maximum to bring up his fourth T20I fifty.
Bau made his List A debut in the 2015-17 ICC World Cricket League Championship against the Netherlands. Later, he went on to make his first-class debut in the 2015–17 ICC Intercontinental Cup on 21 November 2015 against Afghanistan. The left-handed batter played his T20I debut on February 6 against Ireland in Australia and got his ODI cap on November 4, 2016, against Hong Kong. He was a part of the PNG’s squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
