‘Strength and conditioning within PNG itself is a very new concept. For the [cricket] players, it’s definitely brought up their standard and it has no doubt changed the game.’ Meet the Head of Strength & Conditioning (S&C) for Cricket PNG, Meiling Choong. Making history as the first woman appointed to coach an international men’s cricket team (in the S&C department), Meiling has certainly developed her love for this sport science. Initially coaching the Lewas she’s now been in the role for three years and is part of the support team for the PNG Barramundis. ‘The best part about my job is having that opportunity to bring about good change, and creating special relationships with our athletes.’ ‘What I do is focus on holistic development. So we balance out life-work, it’s not just physical fitness.’ For anyone curios enough to know what it takes to be part of the support team to an international team, she says, three must-have qualities are good communication skills, accountability and diligence. The World Cup tour will be Meiling’s first with the Barras as the S&C Coach, so she’s enthusiastically looking to learn as much as she can. ‘I’m going to be a sponge and soak up as much as I can, especially at a World Cup level. I’m going there with an open mind to learn as much as I can and hopefully bring back something new for the team moving forward,’ she says. Optimistic about the men’s performance in the upcoming World Cup, Meiling says a lot of hard work and training have been put into preparing for this moment. Explaining that the team trained throughout the pandemic, not at all sure if the T20 Men’s World Cup was ever eventuating, but now is their time to “go out with a bang”. ‘This is the time for them [Barras] to go out and give their best. And we support them all the way!’