Skills training

Do we dare to dream as the curve starts to flatten and the light at the end of the tunnel begins to appear?
The lack of cases of this horrible virus seems to mean that we will come out the other end sooner rather than later and everyone should be congratulated on following the instructions from the Government and health authorities.
What does this mean for cricket? Well, it is still very early days but we are looking at starting to get skills training happening again as the Barramundis (national men’s team) and Lewas (women) get back to preparing for their big tournaments later in the year.
Neither the Lewas’ World Cup qualifier nor the Barras’ World Cup have been moved yet but it is most likely that they will be postponed, especially the women’s one. We wait and see once the decisions are made by the International Cricket Council and respective governments.
At Cricket Papua New Guinea (CPNG), we will be keeping the health of our players and staff at the forefront of any decisions that we make but we have faith in the governing bodies.
Instead of this being a disappointment, we will be treating any delays as an opportunity to further prepare both sides. The women have been training up a storm in their groups and will be ready to step up this week. The men have also been working hard and are looking forward to hitting some cricket balls over the next few days once permission is granted.
The next step will be to work with the Port Moresby Cricket Association to begin the season which we are all really looking forward too. This will give all cricketers the opportunity to play and also push their case for selection in the Isuzu National Cup and the Curtain Bros T20 Smash over the next few months. The Isuzu Cup is our new 50-over competition that we are excited about and the Smash has been a great success over the last two seasons. These competitions will bring together cricketers from all around the country to try and impress the national selectors with one-day international and T20 games later in the year.
The turf wicket at Amini Park is coming along really well and we hope to be playing on it next month. It has been a great team effort with CPNG staff and board members along with Air Niugini and consultants in Australia helping get the turf wicket firstly into PNG and then laid. The result will be seven new turf wickets ready for a busy international schedule once the borders open up again. We are set to play Nepal and the United Arab Emirates first so we want fast and bounce wickets there which should be a good test for CPNG head groundsman and legend Vani Morea.
Well, that’s probably me for another week. Hopefully next week, I will be able to tell you about the return to training and what the players have been up to during their isolation. Till then, stay safe, follow the rules and we will all get to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Cheers,
Joe