Lega Siaka

Lega Siaka is a right-handed batter who plays for Papua New Guinea. He is the first player for his nation to score an ODI century and as a result, became a household name.

Siaka made his ODI debut for PNG against Hong Kong in 2014. He scored a classy 31 in his debut innings as PNG won that game by 4 wickets.

Not only an artistic batter, but Siaka is also a useful right-arm medium-pace bowler who has the ability to churn out wickets at regular intervals.

His brother, Heni Siaka also used to play for the PNG Under-19 team, but it was Lega Siaka who made great progress when it comes to playing cricket. He had a meteoric rise and as a result, was roped in by the Melbourne Renegades ahead of the 2014 Big Bash League.

During the 2015-17 Intercontinental Cup, Siaka slammed his maiden first-class century and caught the attention of the sporting world with his ability to change gears at will.

Siaka was named in the PNG squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018-19 ICC World T20 East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament. The dynamic player finished as the leading wicket-taker with seven dismissals in just four matches.

In August 2021, PNG named Siaka in their squad for the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Often being compared with Australia’s Michael Clarke for his batting style, Siaka is already a legend for the PNG side. His calm nature during precarious situations is often lauded by the people who have watched Siaka closely.

(As of Oct 2021)