ICC grants Amini Park international status

THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has granted ODI and T20I status to Amini Park in Port Moresby following a recent inspection of the venue and facilities.
The venue is approved for staging international matches between associate and affiliate members commencing with the Hebou PNG Barramundis’ home World Cricket League Championship matches against Scotland next month.
CPNG’s chief executive Greg Campbell was delighted at the news that CPNG now had the facilities to host international teams in fully sanctioned ICC ODIs and T20Is.
“This is an historic moment for Cricket PNG and the East Asia Pacific (EAP) for the ICC to grant international status to the home of cricket in PNG, Amini Park,” Campbell said.
“PNG has been the leading cricket country in the EAP region outside of the two Full-Member countries in Australia and New Zealand. We are currently the number one ranked team in all divisions (men, women and Under-19), featured in its maiden ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in 1998 and has since appeared in seven events, including four in a row since 2008 and became the first country to have turf cricket pitches. Now we can stay that we are the first Associate Member country
in the region to have an ODI/T20I Venue.
“A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes over the past couple of years to make this dream a reality. Firstly, we would like to acknowledge the ICC for assisting CPNG with a development grant to help start this project and then, Curtain Brothers for taking up this project. We now can entice international/first class teams to come to Port Moresby to play on international standard cricket facilities,” Campbell said.
The ICC granted Amini Park international status after the irrigation, field of play, change rooms, umpires rooms, media and official’s rooms were upgraded.
Amini Park’s first international assignment will be the ICC Intercontinental Cup (ICUP)/World Cricket League Championships (WCLC) round 6 fixture against Scotland.