KUMUL PETROLEUM PNG LEWAS HEADING TO NEW ZEALAND

Lewas to participate in the Pacific Cup in Auckland in January 2024

Brenda Tau named as the new Lewas captain, replacing Kaia Arua

New Zealand Māori among the opposition teams.

The selectors have selected a very strong Cricket PNG Kumul Petroleum Lewas 14-player squad to compete in the Pacific Cup to be played in Auckland, New Zealand, from the 14th to 22nd January 2024.

The squad will travel to New Zealand on the 6th January for a pre tournament training camp in Napier before travelling to Auckland for the Pacific Cup matches.

In announcing the team, Cricket PNG has also named a new captain for the Lewas. We congratulate opening batter and wicketkeeper, Brenda Tau, who has taken over from previous captain, Kaia Arua, who’s dedication to that role and performances have led the Lewas on their journey for the past seven years.

Cricket PNG congratulates and thanks Kaia on her leadership, which has seen Cricket PNG attain its highest T20I ranking ever in either men’s or women's cricket.

Kaia will continue to play and contribute to the Lewas going forward as well as supporting Brenda as she gets her leadership tenure underway. Brenda Tau has significant international experience and the leadership qualities we were looking for to take the Lewas forward.

Sibona Jimmy will continue as vice-captain.

The Lewas will play 7 matches against quality opposition in T20 format. Matches against the other Pacific nations will be official T20Is and count for rankings points on the ICC Women’s T20I Rankings Table.

The other teams are New Zealand Māori, Samoa, Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji. We look forward to taking on the New Zealand Māori team, a great initiative by New Zealand Cricket and for the Pacific nations.

The Lewas are looking forward to the tournament, which will be a great opportunity for players to test their skills against strong opposition in a quality environment and kick-start the Lewas 2024 program.

Cricket PNG CEO, Richard Done, said "We welcome the opportunity to head to New Zealand early in the New Year with our Lewas team.

Strengthening our relationship with the other Pacific nations is important, and we appreciate the role that New Zealand Cricket has played in supporting all of us to play this tournament there.

We also thank Central Districts for their support in offering the excellent training facilities and two warm-up matches at McLean Park in Napier.

Our girls remain ranked 11th in the world and with a new leadership team in place, we now need to build on that success across both T20I and ODI formats as we head into the next cycle of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup and the next ICC Women's Cricket World Cup.

Finally, I’d like to recognize and appreciate the great contribution of outgoing captain, Kaia Arua, and welcome Brenda Tau in taking on the leadership role.

We look forward to a great future for the Lewas under Brenda.” Kumul Petroleum Lewas team: Brenda Tau (c), Sibona Jimmy (vc),Tanya Ruma, Kaia Arua, Pauke Siaka, Isabel Toua, Naoani Vare, Geua Tom, Kevau Frank, Henao Thomas, Vicky Ara’a, Buruka Vicky, Dika Lohia, Erani Pokana Lewas’

Pacific Cup Draw

17th January AM v New Zealand Māori

17th January PM v Samoa

18th January PM v Cook Islands

19th January AM v Vanuatu

19th January PM v Fiji

21st January Finals

19/12/23-Ends Further Information: Megan Taureka mtaureka@cricketpng.org.pg