International cricket returned to Port Moresby for the first time since March 2019 in sensational fashion as Papua New Guinea tied with the touring USA team in the first match of a CWC League 2 tri-series that also features Namibia.

PNG captain Assad Vala won the toss and put the visitors into bat. The Americans found the going tough early on as they quickly found themselves three wickets down with just 13 runs on the board.

Jaskaran Malhotra and Gajanand Singh were able to steady things in the middle order with a 77 run partnership for the fourth wicket before Nelson struck when Malhotra was dismissed for 53 with the score on 111.

Singh then put on 51 for the sixth wicket with Nisarg Patel before the latter was out for 24. Singh followed soon afterwards for 58, the top score of the USA innings.

Cameron Stevenson was the last wicket to fall, at the end of the 47th over as USA scored 205. Semo Kamea was the pick of the bowlers for the home team with 3-36 with six of the seven bowlers used picking up at least one wicket.

The hosts were on the back foot in the early part of their innings and were 49-4 with Lega Siaka, Charles Amini and Tony Ura all dismissed. Captain Assad Vala and Sese Bau put on 50 before the former was out for 40, whilst Sese Bau batted on, determined to pick up a rare victory for Papua New Guinea in this competition.

Chad Soper joined him at the fall of the seventh wicket with the score on 159 and the pair began to inch the home team closer to the target. Scoring most of their runs in ones and twos they got into a position where they needed just ten from the last two overs.

When Soper hit the second ball of the penultimate over for six, the pendulum had swung firmly in the favour of PNG. He scored a single from the fourth ball to bring Bau back on strike but he was bowled by Saurabh Netravalkar from the last ball of the over having scored 70.

Three needed from the final over then, with left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige asked to bowl it by USA captain Monank Patel. He had Chad Soper caught from the first ball of the over, getting the last pair of Damien Ravu and Semo Kamea in.

Back to back singles from Kamea and Ravu brought the scores level and Kenjige held his nerve, bowling a dot before bowling Kamea from the penultimate delivery of the match to end the game in a thrilling tie.

The teams will meet again on Tuesday, whilst Namibia will join the fray on Thursday.