‘Around 10 years old, my favourite sport was volleyball. I hated playing cricket. My father who is a former Barramundis player would always encourage me to play cricket, but I never listened. When I reached 13, I started playing cricket in the Hanuabada village competition. I really liked cricket from then on.’
PIH U19 Cricket PNG all-rounder from Hanuabada tells his story of how he got into the game of cricket. By age 15 he had joined the local cricket club and things just evolved from there. Now at 17 and enthusiastically training for his debut on the international stage, he says the game has taught him so much. ‘I learnt a lot of things through cricket beyond like batting and fielding techniques, like respect the coaches and our parents.’
‘Training has been good. I still need to work on my running and batting skills, as we’ve only had a few months of training. But I’m very excited to be playing in the World Cup and a bit nervous of travelling.’
Sharing the same sentiments as most of his other teammates, John says he just wants to learn as much as he can from the other participating countries that will be at the World Cup. ‘I like retired Australian cricketer, Mitchel Johnson. He bowls a lot of trick balls and I’ve never seen a bowler bowl like that before. Especially for him as a left-handed bowler and me being one too.’
Before the U19 team’s first game in the World Cup, he has a few words of encouragement for his teammates.
‘Mi laik tok tasol long ol mangi olsem, mipla go long nem blong kantri. And I want to encourage them to think big. [I’d like to remind the boys that we’re doing this for our country.]
John would like to thank his family for always encouraging him to join the sport since he was a boy. He also extends his gratitude towards Cricket PNG for the opportunity to make the team – a truly unforgettable experience for him.