Cricket PNG has announced the PNG Lewas (Women’s Team) for the T20 Internationals in the Netherlands and Under 19 Garamuts (Boys Team) for the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup East Asia Pacific Division 2 Qualifier to be hosted in Samoa.
A 14-woman PNG Lewas squad and 14-man U19 PNG Garamuts players have been announced, including the non-traveling reserves for each team.
Stepping in on behalf of the Board Chairman and CEO of Cricket PNG to announce the two teams were the Domestic Competition Manager, Lakani Oala and PNG Lewas coach, David Drew.
The PNG Lewas will participate in four one-day Internationals and two T20 Internationals against the Netherlands and Scotland in August.
PNG Lewas coach, David Drew, pointed out that though the girls were refreshed and ready to compete in the upcoming tours, it would be an uphill battle against two of the top cricket teams in the world.
“It’s been really good since we've come back from Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We’ve spent some quality time with the girls and recovered from those tours. The girls got back and played the Isuzu Smash, which was brilliant,” Drew stated.
“To go and play the Netherlands and Scotland who are both highly ranked in the ICC ranking, it’s going to be a test for us but it’s a challenge that the girls are up to. Playing games is the best form of learning, so we are looking forward to going over there and giving our best.”
Conversely, the PNG U19 Garamuts will take part in the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup East Asia Pacific Division 2 Qualifier to be hosted in Samoa. PNG will compete against Samoa, Vanuatu and Indonesia.
Domestic Cricket Manager, Lakani Oala, was confident with the U19 team that they have assembled to compete in the World Cup Qualifier in Apia, Samoa.
“We believe we have selected a side who will represent us well in the tournament. We are looking forward to getting back into the world cup qualification process, so Samoa is a start of that,” Mr. Oala said.
“There are some promising young players who have come through the ranks and it will be interesting to see what they bring to the table.”
Eight players will make their debut for the U19 PNG Garamuts, while two debutants will feature in the PNG Lewas side.
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