Papua New Guinea and Fiji: next stops on MCC touring programme

An MCC squad will leave Lord's this afternoon to play and promote cricket in Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Managed by Jack Birkenshaw (the former England player), the squad includes Steve Kirby (the Yorkshire fast bowler), Robin Weston (the Middlesex batsman) and Colin Metson (the former Glamorgan wicket-keeper).

MCC will play four fixtures in Papua New Guinea and six in Fiji - including three matches against the Fijian national side.

In common with other MCC tours, the trip has been planned in conjunction with the International Cricket Council with the twin aims of increasing international interest in cricket and enabling Papua New Guinea and Fiji to assess the extent of their recent cricketing progress. Past MCC tours have helped emerging cricket nations - including several participants in the current ICC World Cup - move to Test or one-day status. (They include Bangladesh and Kenya.)

Commenting on the trip to Papua New Guinea and Fiji, MCC's Head of Cricket, Tony Dodemaide, said:

"Only three weeks ago, an MCC team returned from a trip to Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Today, our squad will fly to Fiji and Papua New Guinea, and, later this month, an MCC team will play in Nepal. Together with our matches in Test-playing countries - including Australia and New Zealand - these trips show our determination to promote cricket worldwide.

They are proving increasingly important in cricket development terms. We're proud to have played our part in helping several countries - such as Canada and Kenya - prepare so well for the World Cup.

We're also delighted that a current MCC Young Cricketer, Daan van Bunge, has been representing Holland in the competition, while two England players, Ashley Giles and Ian Blackwell, are `graduates' of MCC's School of Merit".

The fixtures on the tour are:

Papua New Guinea
8th March   Prime Minister's XI vs MCC Amini Park
9th March   Chairman's XI vs MCC Amini Park
11th March  Motu Koitabu XI vs MCC      Amini Park
12th March  Central Province XI vs MCC  Amini Park
Fiji
15th March  President's XI vs MCC                      Albert Park
16th March  Fiji vs MCC                                Albert Park
17th March  Combined High Commission Diplomats vs MCC  Albert Park
18th March  Fiji vs MCC                                Albert Park
21st March  Western Combined XI vs MCC                 Namaka School
22nd March  Fiji vs MCC                                Namaka School

The tour will also include two coaching sessions, in Fiji, for local schools.