Assembly calls for support for cricket

By ROBINSON LEKA
THE Motu-Koita Assembly (MKA) has called on the Government to provide more support for cricket in the country with both the men’s and women’s national teams taking the lead on the international stage.
MKA chairman Dadi Toka Jnr during the announcement of the men’s team for the Twenty20 World Cup in October said cricket had a rich history in the country that deserved support from the government.
“Cricket is not just a code we took up in the 1970s or 1980s, it’s a code that we’ve been playing since we’ve got colonised in the late 1800’s,” he said.
“Cricket is not new to Papua New Guinea, it’s been here for some time.
“The very unfortunate situation that we have is the government of the day doesn’t seem to see that it is a priority with its funding.
“This is why we are calling on all the relevant government authorities to get behind cricket.
“Cricket has become prominent and has delivered on the international stage and this is a code that needs more support.
“Not just from the corporate sector but from the relevant government authorities,” Toka said.
Toka has also been liaising with Cricket PNG to organise quarantine and travel arrangements for the Barramundis who depart the country at the end of the week.
“I congratulate everyone in the team that has made it this far.”