MPCA: Somerville recruits PNG World Cup player Charles Amini

A Twitter exchange has led to a Mornington Peninsula cricket club recruiting a Papua New Guinea batting star who hit the first six of the 2021 T20 World Cup.

He’s an explosive batter who has performed on the biggest stage.

And, soon, Papua New Guinea international Charles Amini could be padding up for Somerville in the Mornington Peninsula Cricket Association.

The Eagles registered the 29-year-old left-hander last month after months of negotiations.

They hoped to have him playing when the season resumes on Saturday but the escalation in Covid cases has delayed his arrival.

“We were supposed to be picking him up from the airport last Monday,’’ Somerville president Adrian Ridout said.

“We’re still hopeful of getting him.

“Even if we only get him for a few games, we might still go ahead with it in the hope that we’ll get him next year as well.’’

Amini, who will be a four-point player at Somerville, has played 21 one-day international games and 28 T20 internationals as a batter and leg-spinner.

He made news in October when, in the opening game of the 2021 T20 World Cup against Oman, he walked down the wicket and clipped the first six of the tournament over square leg.

He made 37 in that game.

“He’s a gun,’’ Ridout said.

“We’ve seen highlights where he walks down the wicket and plays cover drives for six, reverse sweeps…

“He hit the first six of the T20 World Cup…he walked down the wicket to a bloke bowling 130kph and clipped him over square leg.

“He bowls leg spin as well. And he’d be the best fielder in our comp by a long way.’’

Somerville player Leigh Lowry suggested the club reach out to Amini after seeing him play in World Cup warm-up games.

Ridout sent him a message on Twitter and has “kept in touch since’’.

“I reckon it would be brilliant for the comp,’’ he said.

The Amini family is cricket royalty in Papua New Guinea.

Charles’ parents and grandparents played cricket for the country and the main ground in Port Moresby is named Amini Park after the family.

The last international cricketer to play for Somerville was England Test opener Chris Broad (father of Stuart) in the late 1980s.