Lewas Tau looking to raise bar

By MARTHA DERUAGE
CRICKET PNG national representative Brenda Tau is an up and coming force in women’s cricket.
The 19-year-old lass from Hanuabada made the East Asia Pacific team this year to compete in the Australian Country Cricket Championships in Perth, Western Australia where she was given an honorary baggy green.
The baggy green is a cricket cap of dark myrtle green, which has been worn by Australian test cricketers since last century, and now a tradition of the tournament. With Tau’s consistently scored runs at a high scoring rate, she finished as the fourth highest scorer in the tournament, with 162 runs at an average of 27.00 and a strike rate of 78.3. She top scored with a quick fire 32. Tau was the only player from the East Asia-Pacific team to be named in the tournament side.
Since it was her first time to attend such tournament, when she started with Lewas back in 2014, Tau remember being nervous and excited to go receive the gift.
“It all came as a surprise when I heard my name being called at the closing ceremony of the tournament,” Tau said of the experience.
“It was honored to receive the baggy green cap because it represent a lot of things.
“It’s about honor, how to humble, always be simple in everything you do and most of all to give your heart to the team.”
She was among eight women who were selected from Lewas, while others from Samoa and Vanuatu made up the 14 East Asia-Pacific women’s team.
The Hanuaba lass, who turns 20 this year, said she loved the sport and would love to continue develop her career.
“It was an honour to represent the country and the Pacific, if I get the opportunity again, I would do my best to put my heart into the game.” Tau said the Lewas had been training hard for the ICC T20 Women’s Cricket World Cup which would be held in Netherlands and she hope to make the team.