Tony Ura

An aggressive right-handed wicket-keeper batsman, Tony Ura is a Papua New Guinean cricketer who announced his arrival at the international stage in 2014. One of the shining lights of his side, Ura started playing cricket at the age of 12 and was scouted from a very young age.

From an early age, he was guided by his father and his brother and eventually the talented batter rose through the U-15 ranks and also made a name for himself at the Under-19 level.

Ura helped PNG to qualify for the U-19 World Cup by smashing a quick-fire 74 against Vanuatu in the qualifiers.

He was the star player for his nation and as a result, gained a club cricket contract in Australia which helped Ura to polish his game. Over the years, Ura became an integral part of the PNG squad and finally made his much-awaited ODI debut against Hong Kong in 2014.

In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Ura showed his batting prowess with a scintillating 151 off just 142 balls against Ireland in a losing cause. In the next match against West Indies, the swashbuckling batter scored a gritty 37 from 45 balls. After the conclusion of the tournament, the International Cricket Council named Ura as the rising star of the PNG squad.

Ura has been an impact player for his nation ever since he made his debut. And his hard work was paid off as PNG included Ura in the PNG squad for the 2021 ICC World T20 Tournament.

(As of Oct 2021)