Competitions on the horizon

ANOTHER week and one more step closer to cricket. Planning is underway for the start of the Cricket Papua New Guinea’s (CPNG) domestic season.
With the hopeful downgrading of Covid-19 restrictions and probable end to the state of emergency (SOE), this will allow us to crank up training and begin the final preparations for competitions to start next month.
One of the most exciting elements of getting back to cricket will be getting to used our new turf centre wickets that were laid in February and are getting close to being ready to start preparing the first wicket.
Head groundsman Vani Morea is starting that this week with a view to it being ready to have a bowl on next week. I know all the players are looking forward to what these wickets will offer and the instructions from the coach to make them as fast and bouncy as possibly.
This new wicket will be perfect timing as it will correspond with me getting out of isolation and returning to coaching the group. I can’t wait to see the team and get stuck into it.
There is much to do with the players having done well during lockdown but it is never the same as working in a big group and our skills and fitness are behind where we need to be, especially with the T20 World Cup still on the horizon.
The only relief there is that every other team will be in the same boat.
With the World Cup scheduled for later in the year, it will dominate our thoughts and training over the next few months. We are hoping to get to Brisbane in August for some games against Queensland and some clubs there.
My former teammate Andrew Bichel and Wade Seccombe have agreed to play and train together for a week if we can get down there which is a great opportunity for the boys and the staff to watch how an Australian team prepare and play.
With the World Cup comes not only opportunity for players to vie for selection but also staff as the ICC allows for eight staff to travel with the team. For an associate team, that is amazing with us normally only getting to travel with four funded by the International Cricket Council.
CPNG travel with five so we can take a manager and a computer analyst which I am sure will have the older players turning over in their graves but that is the modern game and we must provide as much support for the players as possible whilst still challenging them to be not only thinking cricketers but responsible adults.
Whilst eight is massive for us, a full member team will travel with more. In fact in the 2017 Women’s World Cup in England, the Australian team I was part of had more staff than players.
Our staff will comprise of three coaches, one analyst that also is a coach, a physiotherapist and strength and conditioning along with a team manager with one role yet to be decided. I have had a 1,000 applications for the team manager role, including a plea, from SP Hunters coach Matthew Church who I have got to know over recent months. He is passionate about his cricket.
Local cricket is also starting to ramp up. Players will push for selection for the Curtain Bros T20 Smash and the Isuzu National Cup (50 overs).
The Smash will provide opportunities for the men’s and women’s selectors and coaches to look at prospective players and coaches.
Anyway, that’s it for this week. Stay safe and please be responsible even if and when the SOE is lifted.

Cheers,
Joe