Tony Ura (born 15 October 1989) is a Papua New Guinean cricketer. Ura is a right-handed opening batsman.
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Tony Pala Ura | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Papua New Guinea | 15 October 1989|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National side |
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ODI debut (cap 9) | 8 November 2014 v Hong Kong | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last ODI | 5 March 2023 v United Arab Emirates | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T20I debut (cap 8) | 15 July 2015 v Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last T20I | 23 July 2023 v Philippines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 23 July 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Having played age-group cricket for Papua New Guinea Under-19s in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup and 2010 Under-19 World Cup,[1] he was selected in the Papua New Guinea squad for the 2011 World Cricket League Division Three, where he played 6 matches, helping them earn promotion to 2011 World Cricket League Division Two. It was in this competition that he made his List A debut against Bermuda. He played a further 5 List A matches in the competition, the last coming against Hong Kong.[2] In his 6 matches in the competition, he scored 92 runs at a batting average of 15.33, with a high score of 52.[3] HIs half century came against Bermuda.[4]
Ura made his One Day International debut on 8 November 2014 against Hong Kong in Australia.[5] He made his Twenty20 International debut against Ireland in the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier tournament on 15 July 2015.[6]
In the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Ura scored a national record 151 runs from 142 balls against Ireland. He was named player of the match despite his team losing.[7] In the next match against West Indies, the inaugural ODI between the two teams, he scored 37 runs from 45 balls, hitting two sixes off the bowling of Ashley Nurse.[8] Following the conclusion of the Cricket World Cup Qualifier tournament, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named Ura as the rising star of Papua New Guinea's squad.[9]
In August 2018, he was named in Papua New Guinea's squad for Group A of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament.[10] In Papua New Guinea's opening match of the qualifier, against Samoa, Ura scored 120 runs from 55 balls.[11][12] In March 2019, he was named in Papua New Guinea's squad for the Regional Finals of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier tournament.[13] On 23 March 2019, during Papua New Guinea's match against the Philippines, Ura became the first batsman for Papua New Guinea to score a century in a T20I match, scoring 107 not out.[14][15] He was the leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 243 runs in four matches.[16] The following month, he was named in Papua New Guinea's squad for the 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in Namibia.[17]
In June 2019, he was selected to represent the Papua New Guinea cricket team in the men's tournament at the 2019 Pacific Games.[18] In September 2019, he was named in Papua New Guinea's squad for the 2019 ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier tournament in the United Arab Emirates.[19] In August 2021, Ura was named in Papua New Guinea's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.[20]