ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Sub Regional East Asia-Pacific Qualifier A 2024 Points Table: Updated standings after Samoa vs Vanuatu, Match 12

Fiji scripted a nine-run win over the Cook Islands in the 11th fixture of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Qualifiers at Garden Ovals, Asia. The second game of the day and overall 12th match of the season between Samoa and Vanuatu saw the former side win their respective encounter by eight runs on Saturday, August 24.

The 12th game of this campaign marked the end of the league stage matches of the East Asia Pacific Qualifier A. Let's see how the participating team lineup is on the points table:

Samoa, after a win over Vanuatu, climbed up to the first position from second, with four wins in six matches.

The Samoan national side have amassed eight points and a net run rate of +1.270 in the league stages.

The Cook Islands find themselves demoted to second place from first with the same number of wins and eight points as Samoa, but an inferior net run rate of -0.008. Fiji, after their victory over the Cook Islands, retained the third spot on the points table with three wins and three losses in six matches. They have managed to score a total of six points with a net run rate of -0.858.

Vanuatu continue to languish at the bottom of the points table with just a solitary win in their six games. They lie in the fourth position with two points and a net run rate of -0.306.

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2024 ICC T20 World Cup EAP A Qualifiers: Fiji and Samoa win their respective low-scoring games against Cook Islands and Vanuatu

Garden Ovals, Asia, hosted two low-scoring thrillers in the final round of the East Asia Pacific A Qualifiers. The first game of the day saw Fiji post 135/9 against the Cook Islands. In their designated 20 overs, skipper Peni Vuniwaqa (45 off 28) top-scored for his side.

Vuniwaqa scored four boundaries and four sixes in his 28-ball-long innings, striking at an impressive 160.71. His knock was well complemented by teammates Qalo Kau (26 off 27) and Peni Kotoisuva (28 off 17).

Cory Dickson (3/21), Andrew Samuels (2/23), and Liam Denny (2/14) were the highest wicket-takers for the Cook Islands.

Chasing 136, Aue Parima (57 off 39) kept the Cook Islands in the hunt throughout the second innings, but no batting contributions from his teammates led to Cook Island’s loss in the first game of the day.

Joeli Moala’s 3-fer (3/21) combined with Peni Dakainivanua (2/13) and Peni Vuniwaqa’s (2/31) bowling contributions helped Fiji restrict the Cook Islands to 126/9, winning this fixture by nine runs.

In the second game of the day, Samoan opener Sean Cotter scored a 48-ball 51 against Vanuatu, contributing to his side’s first-innings total. Cotter’s mature half-century was accompanied by Darren Roache’s 17-ball 21 and an important 24 off 20 balls by Fereti Sululoto.

Roache and Sululoto hit four boundaries and a maximum in between them, also batting at a strike rate of 123.53 and 120, respectively. In the end, Samoa managed to put together 145/8 in the first innings as Vanuatu bowlers Apolinaire Stephen (2/26) and Williamsing Nalisa (2/33) took a couple of wickets apiece to restrict the Samoan batters.

Clement Tommy (31 off 25) and Bettan Viraliliu (39 off 30) top scored for Vanuatu, but in vain, as they could only manage to post 137/9 in the second inning, handing Samoa an eight-run win in the final league game of the season. Saumani Tiai (4/23) wreaked havoc amongst the Vanuatu batters and eventually helped his team bag two points.