Samoa triumphed in a gripping conclusion to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Sub Regional Qualifier A on Saturday to book their place in next year’s combined EAP/Asia Qualifier.
A narrow nine-run victory for Fiji earlier in the day over the Cook Islands opened the door for Samoa to claim top spot, and they sealed the deal in dramatic fashion, winning a tense battle against Vanuatu by eight runs in front of a jubilant home crowd at the Garden Ovals in Apia.
After a dramatic week of competition, the outcome hung in the balance heading into the final round of matches, with Cook Islands sitting top of the standings.
Electing to bowl first in the day’s early game, the Cook Islands reduced Fiji to a modest 135 for nine from their 20 overs, with captain Peni Volavola (45), Kau Qola (26) and Peniseni Kotoisuva (28 not out) making the biggest contributions with the bat.
Cory Dickson was the pick of the Cook Islands’ bowlers with figures of three for 21 from his four overs.
Cook Islands had batted second in each of their previous games throughout the week with impressive results. On this occasion however, their top order fell cheaply at the hands of Joeli Moala, the seamer claiming four of the top five batters with three wickets and one run-out.
Aue Parima (57) had threatened to derail Fiji’s onslaught, but he fell in the 17th over to cue the first thrilling climax of the day.
With ten runs needed from the final over to win the Qualifier, the brilliant Moala returned to scupper the Cook Islands effort, bowling a maiden to see Fiji over the line by nine runs and leave the door open for Samoa to claim top spot with victory over Vanuatu.
Knowing a win would be enough, Samoa won the toss in the day’s decisive final fixture and chose to bat first.
Openers Sean Cotter (51) and Darren Roche (21) weighed in with runs at the top of the order for Samoa, but economical bowling by the Vanuatu outfit restricted their innings.
Despite a tight performance by the fielding team, a late onslaught by the lower order helped Samoa post 145 for 8 from their 20 overs.
Vanuatu stayed on par with the run rate for most of the early period, but lost wickets at regular intervals. Clement Tommy chipped in with 31, and Bettan Viraliliu with 39 made the biggest impact with the bat for Samoa, but it was a combination of expert fielding and the introduction of Saumani Tiai that arguably changed the course of the match.
With two wickets in his first three overs including the all-important scalp of Viraliliu, Tiai was tasked with bowling the final over for Samoa defending 13 runs for victory. Three singles preceded two catches in the deep as Samoa held on and claimed a memorable triumph and a spot in the next round.
Reacting to their dramatic qualification, Samoa captain Caleb Jasmat said: “To be honest it’s still sinking in, the opportunity to represent Samoa and our families is a massive honour. I’m really proud of the boys and their performances over the course of the tournament.
“It’s a massive moment in Samoa’s cricketing history and hopefully it inspires the next generation of cricketers across the South Pacific. The ability for the team to just keep finding a way to win and stay in the fight, full credit to them.”
Tournament Director, Emily O’Brien added: “Ending an incredible week on such a high note with a thrilling home-team victory truly caps off a spectacular festival of cricket in Samoa.
It’s been fantastic to witness the fierce competitiveness and standout performances across all teams and for it all to come down to the final day’s play was fitting. This triumph is a clear testament to the ongoing growth and strength of cricket in the Pacific.
“Congratulations to Samoa Cricket for being such outstanding hosts and now, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup EAP Sub-Regional Qualifier ‘A’ champions in their own right.”
The culmination of the event in Samoa comes at a busy time in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 qualification calendar, with Europe’s Sub Regional Qualifier C in Guernsey concluding this week, and Asia’s Sub Regional Qualifier A kicking off on Friday 30 August in Malaysia.
Samoa now join PNG in the EAP/Asia Qualifier, with the final spot from the region determined at next month’s Sub Regional Qualifier B event in South Korea.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will feature 20 teams, with 12 automatic qualifiers and eight teams that qualify through regional pathway events.
The automatic qualifiers comprise Super 8 qualifying teams at the recently concluded 2024 edition: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, South Africa, West Indies and USA.
Sri Lanka also qualify automatically as hosts with Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan completing the lineup by virtue of being the three next highest-ranked teams on the ICC Men’s T20I rankings table on 30 June.
Sub Regional Qualifiers will be held across other ICC regions throughout 2024, with their respective regional finals also being held in 2025 to determine the final lineup of teams who will compete at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
