Australia invests in future of cricket in Pacific region

Melbourne [Australia], November 22 (ANI): The Australian Government and Cricket Australia are partnering to support high-performance cricket across the Pacific and strengthen connections with the region.
Delivered through the Australian Government's PacificAus Sports program, the renewed three-year, 1.55 million US Dollars partnership will identify and develop talented players from the Pacific region. The partnership will also create opportunities for Pacific teams to access high-level competitions, both in-country and in Australia.
The partnership will include the establishment of a Cricket Invitational--an annual tournament that will see Pacific teams competing against Australia's women's and men's First Nations teams.
The first tournament is scheduled to be held in Papua New Guinea in June 2025 and will form part of the country's 50 years of independence celebrations.
This renewed partnership builds on the success of previous partnerships, which include Australian players Ellie Johnston, Ruth Johnston and Rhiann O'Donnell participating in the 2024 T20 Smash in PNG, the Australian First Nations men's and women's sides touring Vanuatu in 2023, and former Australian cricketing stars Cathryn Fitzpatrick and Julia Price delivering coaching clinics across the region.
Australian minister Pat Conroy said as per a press release: "Cricket is part of Australia's cultural fabric and is built on dedication, mateship and respect, much like our relationship with the Pacific. It's great to see the continued growth of the sport throughout the region."
"The Australian Government is proud to partner with Cricket Australia to provide Pacific cricketers with access to high-performance coaching and competition. We look forward to more Pacific teams competing on the world stage," he added.
The Cricket Australia Chief Executive Nick Hockley said, "We are delighted to continue our partnership with PacificAus Sports, which plays a critical role in Australia's leadership for the development of cricket in our region."
"Exposure to more elite-level cricket is vital for ICC (International Cricket Council) Associate Members and this next phase of the partnership will help provide access to Australian cricket competitions and facilities to aid the high-performance programs of national teams in the Pacific region."
"We would like to thank the Australian Government for its ongoing support, which helps us deliver on one of our key strategic objectives to support the growth of cricket globally," he concluded.
PNG player Henao Thomas also said, "We are really excited to learn that the PacificAus Sports partnership with Cricket Australia is continuing. The partnership has provided opportunities that we can only dream of in PNG and I want to learn as much as I can from these experiences to keep improving our game and make the next ICC Women's T20 World Cup (in 2026 to be held in India and Sri Lanka)." (ANI)