The upcoming summer is without a doubt the busiest and perhaps most important and professional then ever. Running from late August right through till perhaps early June next year. Lets take a look at the confirmed upcoming fixtures and discuss each series.
Firstly this is the squad that has been announced for the upcoming tour of Qld and the West End Rebacks League, discussing the changes that have happened.
Squad: 1. Assad Vala (Captain) 2. Mahuru Dai 3. Lega Siaka 4. Vani Vagi Morea 5. Kiplin Doriga 6. Hiri Hiri 7. Dogodo Bau (Wicketkeeper) 8. John Boge Reva 9. Chad Soper 10. Jason Kila 11. Norman Vanua 12. Nosiana Pokana 13. Alei Nao 14. Sese Bau
(*Note this squad is subject to change for WCLC Championship, Intercontinental Cup and ODI matches)
There is a few changes to the squad that took on Kenya earlier this year. The most notable and obvious one is the loss of captain and wicket keeper Jack Vare who ruptured his ACL shortly after the Kenya series. ACL rehabs take close to a year to fully recover from so this is a big blow to the Barramundies however youngster and former U19 Garramuts captain Dogodo Bau comes into the side. Nicknamed 'Sosty' he actully spent last year living with me and playing for my club Sandgate-Redcliffe in the Queensland Premier Grade Competition where he played both 1st and 2nd grade and finished the season with most dismissals for a wicket keeper. A quality batsman as well he is a more then capable replacement for Jack. Kiplin Doriga also comes into the squad due to Tony Ura having visa issues. Tony was set to make a comeback following a year off due to a shoulder injury. Kiplin is a top order batsman and has spent time playing in the Victoria Premier Grade Competition last season again very young only 20 years old. The other notable loss in that of Charles Amini Jnr who has a severe ankle sprain meaning hell miss the initial tour but hopefully be right for the home series against Namibia. The squad also sees Jason Kila return after a few years out of the national setup. So a youthful Barramundies squad missing some big names but still a good sign for the future with these youngsters pushing through.
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| New Barramundi Dogodo Bau |
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| Kiplin Dorigia is set to become a Barramundi |
Confirmed Upcoming Fixtures:
Hebou PNG Barramundies Tour of QLD:
August 31st : PNG v Tasmania , September 2nd: PNG v Western Australia, September 5th: PNG v Queensland.
The first of many matches kicks of in Qld on the beautiful sunshine coast. where Cricket Australia announced recently that PNG will play three of the Australian state teams in 50 over matches. Each state has announced their respective squads and whilst they might be missing some of their bigger names to representative honors (Australia, Australia A and NPS) this will still provide a big opportunity for the Barramundies players to prove to Cricket Australia that they have what it takes to play in Australian domestic competitions and at the highest level. Wins against these state sides could well open the door for not only PNG players but also a PNG team in some form of Australian domestic competition.
West End Rebacks League:
September 17th: PNG v Southern Force (50 overs), September 18th: PNG v Nothern Mavericks (50 overs) , September 24th: PNG v Eastern Edge (50 overs), September 25th: PNG v Western Grit (50 overs), October 2nd: PNG v Eastern Edge (50 overs), October 3rd: PNG v Northern Territory (50 overs), 5th October and 6th October: PNG v Northern Terriorty (2 Day Match), October 8th and October 9th: PNG v Western Grit (2 Day match)
Digicel PNG Barramundies will again compete in the West End Rebacks League which is been renamed from the original SACA Premier League. The Competition will again kick off in Darwin which sees PNG play four 50 over matches against each of the South Australian representative sides. These sides boast a number of big names with Australian internationals Travis Head and Adam Zampa just to name a few and will again provide quality cricket on world class facilities. From there the boys will travel down to Adelaide to continue the competition but this time in the longer form of the game. Following a further two 50 over matches PNG will play two 2 day matches against the Northern Territory and Western Grit. This is the Digicel Barramundies fourth year in the South Australian run competition and will provide ideal preparation for the home series against Namibia.
Namibia Tour of Papua New Guinea:
October 17th-October 20th: PNG v Namibia (4-day match), October 22nd: PNG v Namibia (50 overs), October 24: PNG v Namibia (50 overs).
Amini Park will again see its slice of exciting cricketing action when Namibia tour PNG later in October. The tour will see Amini Park host its first four day match in the ICC intercontinental cup competition and whilst this is an important match for the Barramundies one eye will remain firmly on the two 50 over fixtures to follow. This is a huge series in terms of status in the WCLC championship competition. A clean sweep of Namibia will see PNG rocket up to 2nd on the table. With some of the tougher teams to follow this series has added context. Namibia and Papua New Guinea have a similar history with the sides sharing a 2-2 win/loss rate in recent years. As described in the 2015 WT20 qualifier both sides are considered the most physical in the Associate cricking world. Namibia are big strong African boys who hit the ball hard and bowl back of a length intimidating lines, whilst the Barramundi boys are natural athletes blessed with speed, athleticism and flair that most Melanesians posses. Shapes to be a great series in front of family and friends and provide the cricketing public in Papua New Guinea the match needed matches it deserves.
Papua New Guinea Tour of Hong Kong:
November 4th: PNG v HK (ODI match), November 6th: PNG v HK (ODI match), November 8th: PNG v HK (ODI match).
The Barramundies will return to ICC approved international cricket when they tour Hong Kong quickly after the Namibia series wraps up at home. The Mong Kok cricket ground will host 3 ODI's in a much needed boost to PNG cricket on the international stage. This will be the Barramundies third to fifth ODI's all of which have been played against Hong Kong, with the last series being played in Townsville in November 2014, which PNG won 2-0. The conditions in Hong Kong are not alien to most of the Barramundies players having played there in 2011 during ICC WCL Division Three tournament. PNG and HK have developed a fierce rivalry on the field with a number of close matches throughout the last few years, most notable HK beating the Barramundies in Dubai 2013 to go through to the T20WC 2014. However as fierce as the rivalry is on the field the players are great friends off it and its great to see how far both nations have come together since division 3 in 2011. No doubt this is going to be an entertaining series (which will be streamed live online for PNG fans) and hopefully one that sees the Barramundies climb back up the international rankings (currently 16th) and provide the players with the much deserved international sanctioned matches they train so hard for.
Confirmed Unconfirmed Series v UAE
February - June 2017: Two x 50 over matches, One x 4-Day Match.
As misleading as the title is this series is confirmed against the United Arab Emirates, however the specific dates are yet to be finalized. The matches will be played as part of both ICC run tournaments the ICC WCL Championship (50 overs) and the ICC Intercontinental Cup (4-day). Matches will be played in the UAE which is certinaley no stranger to PNG having played in 4 major tournaments there across the last 5 years. (2011 WCL Div 2, WT20Q 2012, WT20Q 2013 and U19 CWC 2014). Again a critical series particularly in the 50 over matches, the UAE haven't been travelling to well in this tournament but at home provide a much sterner challenge.
September 17th: PNG v Southern Force (50 overs), September 18th: PNG v Nothern Mavericks (50 overs) , September 24th: PNG v Eastern Edge (50 overs), September 25th: PNG v Western Grit (50 overs), October 2nd: PNG v Eastern Edge (50 overs), October 3rd: PNG v Northern Territory (50 overs), 5th October and 6th October: PNG v Northern Terriorty (2 Day Match), October 8th and October 9th: PNG v Western Grit (2 Day match)
Digicel PNG Barramundies will again compete in the West End Rebacks League which is been renamed from the original SACA Premier League. The Competition will again kick off in Darwin which sees PNG play four 50 over matches against each of the South Australian representative sides. These sides boast a number of big names with Australian internationals Travis Head and Adam Zampa just to name a few and will again provide quality cricket on world class facilities. From there the boys will travel down to Adelaide to continue the competition but this time in the longer form of the game. Following a further two 50 over matches PNG will play two 2 day matches against the Northern Territory and Western Grit. This is the Digicel Barramundies fourth year in the South Australian run competition and will provide ideal preparation for the home series against Namibia.
Namibia Tour of Papua New Guinea:
October 17th-October 20th: PNG v Namibia (4-day match), October 22nd: PNG v Namibia (50 overs), October 24: PNG v Namibia (50 overs).
Amini Park will again see its slice of exciting cricketing action when Namibia tour PNG later in October. The tour will see Amini Park host its first four day match in the ICC intercontinental cup competition and whilst this is an important match for the Barramundies one eye will remain firmly on the two 50 over fixtures to follow. This is a huge series in terms of status in the WCLC championship competition. A clean sweep of Namibia will see PNG rocket up to 2nd on the table. With some of the tougher teams to follow this series has added context. Namibia and Papua New Guinea have a similar history with the sides sharing a 2-2 win/loss rate in recent years. As described in the 2015 WT20 qualifier both sides are considered the most physical in the Associate cricking world. Namibia are big strong African boys who hit the ball hard and bowl back of a length intimidating lines, whilst the Barramundi boys are natural athletes blessed with speed, athleticism and flair that most Melanesians posses. Shapes to be a great series in front of family and friends and provide the cricketing public in Papua New Guinea the match needed matches it deserves.
Papua New Guinea Tour of Hong Kong:
November 4th: PNG v HK (ODI match), November 6th: PNG v HK (ODI match), November 8th: PNG v HK (ODI match).
The Barramundies will return to ICC approved international cricket when they tour Hong Kong quickly after the Namibia series wraps up at home. The Mong Kok cricket ground will host 3 ODI's in a much needed boost to PNG cricket on the international stage. This will be the Barramundies third to fifth ODI's all of which have been played against Hong Kong, with the last series being played in Townsville in November 2014, which PNG won 2-0. The conditions in Hong Kong are not alien to most of the Barramundies players having played there in 2011 during ICC WCL Division Three tournament. PNG and HK have developed a fierce rivalry on the field with a number of close matches throughout the last few years, most notable HK beating the Barramundies in Dubai 2013 to go through to the T20WC 2014. However as fierce as the rivalry is on the field the players are great friends off it and its great to see how far both nations have come together since division 3 in 2011. No doubt this is going to be an entertaining series (which will be streamed live online for PNG fans) and hopefully one that sees the Barramundies climb back up the international rankings (currently 16th) and provide the players with the much deserved international sanctioned matches they train so hard for.
Confirmed Unconfirmed Series v UAE
February - June 2017: Two x 50 over matches, One x 4-Day Match.
As misleading as the title is this series is confirmed against the United Arab Emirates, however the specific dates are yet to be finalized. The matches will be played as part of both ICC run tournaments the ICC WCL Championship (50 overs) and the ICC Intercontinental Cup (4-day). Matches will be played in the UAE which is certinaley no stranger to PNG having played in 4 major tournaments there across the last 5 years. (2011 WCL Div 2, WT20Q 2012, WT20Q 2013 and U19 CWC 2014). Again a critical series particularly in the 50 over matches, the UAE haven't been travelling to well in this tournament but at home provide a much sterner challenge.
