Barras confident in squad named

A NEW-look Hebou PNG Barramundis side will travel today as they prepare for the International Cricket Council World T20 East Asia Pacific Regional Qualifiers.
Standing in their way are hosts Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, all vying to become the first country from the region to qualify for an ICC World T20.
PNG will take a team of young players to the qualifier with a “win it” attitude, according to coach Joseph Dawes: “Hebou PNG Barramundis have great preparation under their belt to achieve their goals and we go into every tournament with high expectations and this tournament is no different.
“We expect the team to go and play good cricket and the results will look after themselves,” he said.
Leading the side is captain Assadollah Vala who believes that: “It’s a very exciting period for Cricket PNG to move on with this group of young players considering that a few of the senior players will not be present during the tournament.”
Looking to impress and make his debut is Steven Eno, a player Dawes said was an experienced club batsman and wicket keeper.
Eno scored an unbeaten 80 from 60 balls as he opened for Black Bass in the first match of Hebou Shield, before an injury cut short his campaign.
His inclusion in the team is a testament to his form during the Port Moresby club competition.
Dawes was full of praise for Eno: “We have new player on this trip. Steven Eno who is a experienced club batsmen who is the leading scorer in club cricket outside the Barras. He can also keep wicket which gives us options during the tour. He is obviously very excited to be part of the team and hoping to play a game.”
The return of Charles Amini Junior and Nosaina Pokana will also add value to the team and Dawes is excited about them playing and having an impact during matches.
While Amini has already rejoined the squad ahead of the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, it will be interesting to see how he takes to T20 cricket and the role of vice-captain.
Dawes said: “CJ (Charles Amini Jr) has had an incredible Hebou Shield with bat and ball, so looking forward to him being back in the team. The return of Nosaina (Pokana) gives us options with the new ball.”
The team have been working hard on all aspects of the game and are eager to get on the field and put in play what they have been working on, especially after facing disappointments in their last two international tournaments.
Tony Elly medal winner and skipper Vala was hoping for a successful tournament after a rough patch.
“We’ve been going through a gruelling training programme over the last five months, working on all facets of our game — general fitness, strength and conditioning and skills training,” Vala said.
“I believe we’ve done the work needed to improve from the disappointments we faced at our last two tournaments.
“That being said, we have identified those areas and have worked really hard on them and we’re eager to get on the field and put into play what we’ve been working on.” Vala added that the team had been working to get accustomed to playing on an artificial pitches again.
“It’s been a while since we’ve played on artificial wickets in an international tournament but we will not use that as an excuse because we have been playing all our domestic competition on synthetic to prepare for this tournament,” he said.
Vala hoped that the tournament would give the squad’s young players a chance to gain more experience at international level and practise winning habits.
“We’re hoping the young group of lads gain more experience on an international level and for the team to start practising winning habits — winning is a habit and our main objective going into this tournament is to win and win well.”
PNG’s opening match of the tournament is against Samoa with Vala stressing the importance of starting strong.
“I believe it’s a very important game for us; the first game always sets the tone for the whole tournament. I know we’ll be up for it; it is just a matter of executing our plans. I know if we do that, we will give ourselves the best opportunity to win.”
The tournament starts on Sat, Aug 25 and concludes on Thurs, Aug 30.
Live scores will be available on https://www.icc-cricket.com.