Siaka brims with confidence

 By HUXLEY LOVAI
THE hopes of the Hebou Papua New Guinea Barramundis will rest on the shoulders of two men — Assad Vala and Lega Siaka.
As batsmen, both are perhaps PNG’s best and their form will dictate whether the Barras can put on big totals against Kenya, who they play in two World Cricket League Championship 50-over games.
Siaka, who is 24-year-old, hails from Hanuabada Village.
Although he stands at 167cm, he packs a lot of punch despite his diminutive stature.
Lega is one of the biggest hitters in the side and — along with Assad Vala and Mahuru Dai — can consistently clear the Amini Park boundaries.
In 2014, Siaka become the first PNG cricketer to score a century (109-runs) in an International Cricket Council-sanctioned 50-over match against Hong Kong in Townsville, Australia.  PNG went on to win the series 2-0.
Siaka hit tons against Kenya and Namibia in the ICC World Cup qualifying tournament in New Zealand at the start of 2014 to help PNG finish fourth, just two places shy of entry to the main draw.
Those centuries caught the attention of the Melbourne Renegades, who play in the Australia’s Big Bash League Twenty20 competition.
They offered Siaka a community rookie contract, where he spent the past two seasons playing Victorian premier cricket for the Essendon club.
His good form for the club was rewarded when he became only the fifth overseas player to be named in the Australian Prime Ministers XI as they played one-day match against the touring England national side last year.
“I’ve had a couple of international coaches who have always pushed me to work hard and improve my game,” Siaka said.
“They challenged me to perform at a higher level.”
As opening batsmen, Siaka is a fan of former Australian captain Michael Clark because of the way he batted against spin-bowlers.
With Kenya likely to use their slower-ballers in line with the pitch condition at Amini Park wicket suited for spin, Siaka said he hoped to emulate the Australian captain. The two matches against Kenya will be the first ICC-sanctioned matches to be hosted in PNG, and Siaka admitted he felt some of the pressure of expectations.
“Honestly, I feel the pressure of playing at home in front of the local fans and my family, it will be important for myself and the team to handle it and perform well,” Siaka said.
Given his past performance against Kenya, Siaka was brimming with confidence going into the series.