Barramundis focus on fitness

By ROBINSON LEKA
A STRONG focus on fitness and restoring pride in 50-over cricket is what Papua New Guinea will be eyeing in the opening months of the year, says Barramundis vice-captain Charles Amini Jr.
Without a win from eight internationals last year, Amini said the first step in their preparations was to return to peak condition.
“We’re four weeks into our preseason camp so the main focus now is to get stronger and fitter,” he told The National. “It’s an eight-week programme and our assistant coach Nathan Reardon has flown up (from Australia) to get us started with our skills work. We’re slowly building into our skills side of the game.
“That’s where we are at the moment but the main focus is understanding our roles and working towards improving our game.
“We still have 50-over tournaments before the T20 World Cup in October so that’s our main focus.
“We’re going to be having a few home games this year. We have four games against Nepal and UAE (United Arab Emirates).
“We’re hoping to record some wins and get back into contention in the 50-over format.
“We’re working hard to put on a good show for our families and friends to get us back where we want to be.”
Amini said he was pleased with the Barramundis squad members playing in Australia as the exposure of local players would help build experience in the team in their campaign.