Pacific cricket comes to Cairns

The Papua New Guinea (PNG) National Cricket Team is currently in Cairns for a 10 day tour of North Queensland.

Five games have been scheduled during the tour, including three against the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), and two against Queensland Cricket Far North Regional XI's.

Four of the five games are to be played at the Bundaberg Rum Stadium, the venue where Australia will play Bangladesh in an upcoming test and one day series.

The aim of the tour is to prepare PNG for the upcoming South Pacific Games, however getting the opportunity to play several games on turf - a surface not available in PNG - is another important component of the visit.

This turf experience will greatly assist in PNG's ultimate objective, to qualify for the 2007 ICC World Cup. In order to do this they must be in the top three at the 2005 ICC Trophy.

A tour highlight will be the last game on Friday May 30, a day/night match at Bundaberg Rum Stadium against Queensland Cricket's Far North Region.

This event also represents the first activity to take place in a recently established partnership between the PNG Cricket Board (PNGCB) and Queensland Cricket.

This partnership involves Queensland Cricket assisting PNG in several areas of cricket development including High Performance, Coach Education and Junior Development.

The PNGCB / Queensland Cricket development partnership was initiated by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Development Program's East Asia - Pacific (EAP) Region.

Commenting on the tour, ICC EAP Regional Development Officer Tim Anderson said,

"PNG Cricket is at a very exciting stage with several talented young players coming through the ranks. This tour therefore represents an important step in the continuing development of cricket at the elite level in PNG, as they strive to qualify for the West Indies in 2007."

"Considering this is the first event in the cricket development partnership between PNG and Queensland cricket, this tour is also a positive step in ICC EAP's on going objective to create closer links between developing cricket countries in the region and state cricket associations in Australia and New Zealand (ICC EAP has established seven such partnerships in the past two years).

ICC EAP would like to thank Queensland Cricket and the QAS for there support of this event, and their desire to assist the ICC in developing cricket into a global game."

Queensland Cricket Chief Executive Officer Graham Dixon said the PNG tour provided a series of positive outcomes for all involved.

"Queensland Cricket considers the development of cricket in countries like PNG an essential component of our game growing beyond its traditional boundaries, and therefore we are very pleased to assist the ICC in its aim to globalize cricket."

"This tour is a great initiative as it gives the PNG guys the opportunity to play on turf against quality opposition, but it also gives our young QAS, and regional players, a chance to compete against good players from a totally different cricket culture.

"There have been cricket ties between PNG and Far North Queensland in the past but the relationships that are in place now should ensure stronger links are created in the region. We hope these types of activities can continue in the future."

PNG Cricket's tour of North Queensland tour is a joint initiative between the ICC Development Program, PNGCB, Queensland Cricket and the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS).