The PNG national women’s cricket team (the Lewas) competed at the Australian Country Cricket Championships in Canberra in January 2023. The tour, supported by the PacificAus Sports partnership with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and Cricket Australia (CA), was a great opportunity for the Lewas to test their skill against state-based regional teams in Australia.
Through the PacificAus Sport partnership, Cricket PNG and Cricket Vanuatu are working with Australian Cricket to develop their high performance systems and pathways for their women’s and men’s elite teams. The Lewas certainly impressed with their first international cricket matches since 2022, and will look to continue their run of form at the Pacific Island Cricket Challenge 2023 and ICC World Cup Qualifying Events later in the year.
The team received a twitter shoutout from the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong and great coverage across the ABC. Anthony Albanese, Australian Prime Minister, also mentioned the partnership in his speech to the PNG Government.
The partnership is seen as an important driver for CA to achieve their strategic goals and become a leader in the game by supporting the growth of the cricket globally, but particularly within the Pacific region.
Next up. the Australian Indigenous women’s and men’s teams will be touring to Vanuatu in May. There is plenty to look forward in this blossoming partnership!