Cricket training for U19 squad

THE Fiji Women’s Cricket Under-19 extended training squad will have their first training session today as they prepare for the upcoming East Asia World Cup Qualifiers in May.

This is the first time Fiji has qualified for the tournament, making the outing a historical one.

Fiji Cricket chief executive officer Sitiveni Roko confirmed there were 35 players in the training squad.

“We have around 35 players in the extended squad as we have our first training session today. We have a few slots left so we encourage those interested to join,” Roko said.

“In two weeks, we will have the Fiji Women’s Secondary Schools Under-19 Cricket competition so that will help us with our selection because almost all of the players will be competing.”

He says the squad will be training for the next few weeks before a final team is selected in April.

“So, from now until April, players will have time to showcase their talent before we will be selecting a 14-member squad for the qualifiers.

“This will be a historic outing, so we want our best when we compete at the tournament.”

Roko said once the final team was named, the side would attend training camps before travelling to Indonesia for the qualifiers.

“We will have training camps straight after selecting our final team so that we have our players training together for a few weeks before the tournament.

“When selecting our team, we will not only be looking at their performance on the field but off the field as well. This is in terms of punctuality, discipline, and other qualities that do not necessarily focus on player performance.

“With this, I just want to wish all those part of the training squad the very best in their preparations in making the team.”