Assad Vala Explained

Assad Vala
Country:Papua New Guinea
Fullname:Asadollah Vala
Birth Date:5 August 1987
Birth Place:Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Batting:Left-handed
Bowling:Right-arm off break
Family:Pauke Siaka (wife)
International:true
Internationalspan:2014-present
Odidebutdate:8 November
Odidebutyear:2014
Odidebutagainst:Hong Kong
Odicap:10
Lastodidate:5 April
Lastodiyear:2023
Lastodiagainst:Canada
Odishirt:13
T20idebutdate:15 July
T20idebutyear:2015
T20idebutagainst:Ireland
T20icap:9
Lastt20idate:21 September
Lastt20iyear:2023
Lastt20iagainst:Hong Kong
Columns:4
Column1:ODI
Matches1:66
Runs1:2,003
Bat Avg1:30.81
100S/50S1:1/12
Top Score1:104
Deliveries1:2,388
Wickets1:55
Bowl Avg1:28.70
Fivefor1:0
Tenfor1:0
Best Bowling1:3/17
Catches/Stumpings1:34/–
Column2:T20I
Matches2:43
Runs2:839
Bat Avg2:23.97
100S/50S2:0/6
Top Score2:93
Deliveries2:389
Wickets2:27
Bowl Avg2:15.81
Fivefor2:0
Tenfor2:0
Best Bowling2:3/7
Catches/Stumpings2:19/–
Column3:FC
Matches3:7
Runs3:700
Bat Avg3:63.63
100S/50S3:3/3
Top Score3:144
Deliveries3:341
Wickets3:5
Bowl Avg3:33.20
Fivefor3:0
Tenfor3:0
Best Bowling3:2/80
Catches/Stumpings3:6/–
Column4:LA
Matches4:101
Runs4:2,986
Bat Avg4:30.78
100S/50S4:2/18
Top Score4:105
Deliveries4:2,702
Wickets4:69
Bowl Avg4:26.24
Fivefor4:0
Tenfor4:0
Best Bowling4:3/17
Catches/Stumpings4:46/–
Date:21 September 2023
Source:http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/25056.html Cricinfo
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Asadollah Vala (born 5 August 1987) is a Papua New Guinea cricketer and the captain of the national side.[1] [2] A left-handed batsman and off spin bowler, he has played for the Papua New Guinea national team since 2005.[3]

Early career

Born in Papua New Guinea in 1987, Assad Vala first represented Papua New Guinea at the under-19 level, playing in the 2004 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh.[4] He made his debut for the senior side at the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland, where he played seven List A matches.[5]

He returned to the under-19 level later in the year, playing in the Africa/East Asia-Pacific Under-19 Championship at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, South Africa. In 2006, he played for a combined East Asia Pacific team in the Australian National Country Cricket Championship, and did so again in 2007 and 2008.

In 2007, Vala played in Division Three of the World Cricket League in Darwin and represented his country at the 2007 South Pacific Games, where he won a gold medal in the cricket tournament.[6]

International career

He made his One Day International (ODI) debut on 8 November 2014 against Hong Kong in Australia.[7] He made his Twenty20 International debut against Ireland in the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament on 15 July 2015.[8]

In June 2015 on his first-class cricket debut, he scored a match-winning 124 not out against the Netherlands in the 2015–17 ICC Intercontinental Cup.[9] He scored three hundreds in his first four matches, also making centuries against Ireland (120) and Namibia (144 not out).[10]

In February 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Vala as one of the ten players to watch ahead of the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament.[11] In June 2018, at the Papua New Guinea Cricket Awards, he won the Tony Elly Medal for the best male player.[12]

In August 2018, he was named as the captain of Papua New Guinea's squad for Group A of the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament.[13] He was the leading run-scorer in Group A of the tournament, with 294 runs in six matches.[14] In March 2019, he was named as the captain of Papua New Guinea's squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament.[15] The following month, he was named captain of Papua New Guinea's squad for the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia.[16]

In June 2019, he was selected to represent the Papua New Guinea cricket team in the men's tournament at the 2019 Pacific Games.[17] In September 2019, Vala was named as the captain of Papua New Guinea's squad for the 2019 United States Tri-Nation Series.[18] In the final match of the series, against Namibia, he scored his first ODI century, with 104 runs from 114 balls.[19]

In September 2019, he was named as the captain of Papua New Guinea's squad for the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament in the United Arab Emirates.[20] [21] Ahead of the tournament, the ICC named him as the key player in Papua New Guinea's squad.[22] He was the leading run-scorer for Papua New Guinea in the tournament, with 197 runs in eight matches.[23]

In November 2020, Vala was nominated for the ICC Men's Associate Cricketer of the Decade award.[24] In August 2021, Vala was named as the captain of Papua New Guinea's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[25]

In May 2024, he was named the captain in Papua New Guinea’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament.[26]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Assad Vala . ESPNCricinfo . 23 October 2016.
  2. News: PNG squad for Inter-continental Cup match against Namibia . ESPN Cricinfo . 17 October 2016.
  3. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/62/62462/62462.html CricketArchive profile
  4. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/62/62462/Other_matches.html Other matches played by Asad Vala
  5. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Players/62/62462/List_A_Matches.html List A matches played by Asad Vala
  6. http://www.cricketarchive.co.uk/Archive/Events/Tables/South_Pacific_Games_2007.html Points table for the 2007 South Pacific Games cricket tournament
  7. Web site: Hong Kong tour of Australia, 1st ODI: Papua New Guinea v Hong Kong at Townsville, Nov 8, 2014 . 8 November 2014 . ESPN Cricinfo.
  8. Web site: ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, 23rd Match, Group A: Ireland v Papua New Guinea at Belfast, Jul 15, 2015 . 15 July 2015 . ESPN Cricinfo.
  9. Web site: ICC Intercontinental Cup, Netherlands v Papua New Guinea at Amstelveen, Jun 16-18, 2015 . 18 June 2015 . ESPN Cricinfo.
  10. Web site: ICC Intercontinental Cup Results . ESPNCricinfo . 23 October 2016.
  11. News: 10 stars to look out for at CWCQ . International Cricket Council . 27 February 2018 . 27 February 2018.
  12. Web site: Assad Vala, Pauke Siaka win top PNG Cricket awards . 20 June 2018 . International Cricket Council.
  13. Web site: Squads and fixtures announced for 2020 ICC World T20 - EAP Group 'A' 2018 . International Cricket Council . 9 August 2018.
  14. Web site: ICC World Twenty20 East Asia-Pacific Region Qualifier A, 2018, Most Runs . ESPN Cricinfo . 29 August 2018.
  15. Web site: Squads and Fixtures Announced for 2020 ICC Men's T20 World Cup EAP Final 2019 . Cricket Philippines . 22 March 2019.
  16. Web site: Barras on a mission . The National (Papua New Guinea) . 3 April 2019.
  17. Web site: Athlete List for Samoa 2019 Pacific Games . Pacific Games Council . 21 June 2019.
  18. Web site: First One Day International to be played in USA . International Cricket Council . 10 September 2019.
  19. Web site: Vala century in vain as Namibia see off PNG . International Cricket Council . 24 September 2019.
  20. Web site: Barras named for qualifiers . The National . 4 October 2019.
  21. Web site: Captains enthusiastic ahead of ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 . International Cricket Council . 12 October 2019.
  22. Web site: Team preview: Papua New Guinea . International Cricket Council . 12 October 2019.
  23. Web site: ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier, 2019/20 - Papua New Guinea: Batting and bowling averages . ESPN Cricinfo . 3 November 2019.
  24. Web site: ICC Awards of the Decade announced . International Cricket Council . 25 November 2020.
  25. Web site: Papua New Guinea unveil T20 World Cup squad . International Cricket Council . 24 August 2021.
  26. Web site: Papua New Guinea’s Player Squad for ICC T20 World Cup . 2024-06-12 . ScoreWaves . en.