Sport
LOCKER ROOM CHAT HIRI HIRI CRICKETER BY LEMACH LAVARI | PHOTOGRAPH: LEMACH LAVARI
Making the Papua New Guinean team to play Bangladesh in PNG’s first ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup tournament is something that all-rounder Hiri Hiri says he will “cherish forever”. Hiri was part of the Barramundis team, which for the first time ever qualified for an ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, hosted last year in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
Hiri Hiri on … The highlight for me was catching former Bangladesh skipper, Mushfiqur Rahim for five runs. I was fielding at deep square, and he belted the ball towards me. It popped out of my hand, but I was able to grab it and make the catch. The vibe of World Cup cricket is different, and I was a bit nervous when I was up to bat, but after my first run I was able to shake off the nerves and continue playing my game. Before every big match I get a teammate to bowl at me so that I can go over my shots.
FOR THE RECORD
If we’re fielding, I get to bowl at a teammate. This helps prepare me mentally before I go onto the pitch. When I first represented PNG, I was part of the PNG Under 17 team, the Hebou Geckos, at the 2012 ICC East Asia Pacific Region Junior Championship in Fiji. The dream to one day become a Barramundi was something that motivated me to work hard on improving my game. I started playing cricket around the age of 10, playing in the street with other kids in my community; also, watching cricket on TV influenced me a lot. I loved watching India’s Sachin Tendulkar, and would try to copy him whenever I had a bat in my hand. To achieve anything, we must have role models or people who we can aspire to become like; this helps us dream and I think that is important.
Name: Hiri Hiri Age: 26
Local competition: Port Moresby Cricket Association Local club: Hoods Cricket Club Favourite PNG food: Rice and Ox & Palm corned beef Favourite PNG musician: Steve Lahui
44 PNG NOW APRIL/MAY 2022
The Barramundis are currently in training for ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup qualifiers, scheduled for July.
