Kamlesh Barjati
Banned
- Joined
- 26 May 2011
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Fiji is looming as the side most capable of toppling the seemingly invincible PNG side when the Pepsi ICC East-Asia Pacific Division 1 begins on Monday in Port Moresby.
With an extremely busy international schedule ahead for the national team in the next three months including the tournament in PNG, the South Pacific Games and then World Cricket League Division 6, preparation has been more important than ever before and all-rounder Kitione Tavo is happy with where the team is at.
"Training has been good and I think our preparation is going well," said Tavo. "There's a great feeling amongst the team this year."
Fiji has also been boosted by the return of two players that have been out of the national side for a number of years.
Most notably fast bowler Imran Kahn returns after a six year absence teaching in the USA, and Jikoi Kida returns after a stint in Egypt with the Fijian army.
Both players have performed brilliantly for Fiji in the past and if they can return to that sort of form Fiji will turn some heads in Port Moresby.
The recent weather in Fiji has been one of the main challenges to this group of players getting as much match practice in as they would like, however key player Joji Bulabalavu says it has provided himself and his teammates with activities to break up the traditional training sessions.
"There has been a lot of rain in Fiji recently so it has been hard to train every day, but we have been doing a few different things instead like going to the gym or doing indoor fitness training," said Bulabalavu.
Tavo says his sides goal is absolutely to "win the tournament," however admits there is a lot of work ahead to make that dream a reality labeling PNG as the obvious team to beat.
"To beat them (PNG) we need to set our game plan first, play well and stick to that plan and hopefully the result goes our way," he said.
Fiji's first match will be against Samoa on Monday 4 July at 10:15am local time.
http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=16098_1309416540
With an extremely busy international schedule ahead for the national team in the next three months including the tournament in PNG, the South Pacific Games and then World Cricket League Division 6, preparation has been more important than ever before and all-rounder Kitione Tavo is happy with where the team is at.
"Training has been good and I think our preparation is going well," said Tavo. "There's a great feeling amongst the team this year."
Fiji has also been boosted by the return of two players that have been out of the national side for a number of years.
Most notably fast bowler Imran Kahn returns after a six year absence teaching in the USA, and Jikoi Kida returns after a stint in Egypt with the Fijian army.
Both players have performed brilliantly for Fiji in the past and if they can return to that sort of form Fiji will turn some heads in Port Moresby.
The recent weather in Fiji has been one of the main challenges to this group of players getting as much match practice in as they would like, however key player Joji Bulabalavu says it has provided himself and his teammates with activities to break up the traditional training sessions.
"There has been a lot of rain in Fiji recently so it has been hard to train every day, but we have been doing a few different things instead like going to the gym or doing indoor fitness training," said Bulabalavu.
Tavo says his sides goal is absolutely to "win the tournament," however admits there is a lot of work ahead to make that dream a reality labeling PNG as the obvious team to beat.
"To beat them (PNG) we need to set our game plan first, play well and stick to that plan and hopefully the result goes our way," he said.
Fiji's first match will be against Samoa on Monday 4 July at 10:15am local time.
http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/newsdetails.php?newsId=16098_1309416540
