Fitness priority for CPNG

STAYING fit remains a priority for the national men and women’s cricket teams as squad members continue to train on their own during the state of emergency, says an official.
Despite being unable to access their usual facilities, Barramundis (men) head coach Joe Dawes said most players were training together in small groups.
He said the Barramundis and Lewas (women) had started a Whatsapp group and were posting videos of themselves doing their workouts.
“The men are doing well,” said Dawes, who is Australia.
“I’ve got content from them throwing around tyres, axles and other parts from old cars that they’ve been able to find for weights.
“They’re pulling tyres along the ground using rope with their children sitting on them.
“A lot of the men and the majority of the women live in big villages so there are ovals and netball courts there that they’ve been using to train.
“We split what little equipment we had between the groups so they’ve got some cones and other gear to use during training.
“We’re looking forward to Papua New Guinea opening its borders for essential people soon. So hopefully over the next few weeks, I might be able to return and resume work.”
Dawes said the players could still train in groups of four or five.
The former cricketer said he was fortunate to have good strength and conditioning staff in Papua New Guinea who had helped the players keep fit.