Assad Vala urges Anthony Albanese to help back cricket in Papua New Guinea

The Federal Government is pledging $60 million a year to bankroll a new NRL franchise in Papua New Guinea — and now cricket wants in on the action.

Papua New Guinea’s national cricket captain has a message for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – “don’t forget us.”

The Federal Government is pledging $60 million a year to bankroll a new NRL franchise in Papua New Guinea, partly as a strategic move to ward off the threat of China in the Pacific.

However, Assad Vala, captain of the PNG side competing at the current T20 cricket World Cup in the Caribbean has pleaded with Albanese that rugby league is not the only sport that matters in his home country.

Cricket is Australia’s national sport and Vala says even a fraction of the $60 million being pledged to rugby league by their closest neighbours would make a game-changing difference to the game’s bid to blossom in PNG.

“Just a small portion, it would do a lot,” Vala told Code Sports.

Assad Vala has pleaded with Anthony Albanese that rugby league is not the only sport that matters in Papua New Guinea. Picture: Getty Images

“Especially the facilities and running programs as well.

“Funding is a bit of a problem for us, but if we can get funding it will do a lot for us, especially, we’ve got a lot of kids coming up, school cricketers.

“We’ve got the numbers, we don’t have the pathway for those young ones that are coming through.

“It would be really good if we could have an academy and stuff like that, if we had the funding. It would be great, hopefully.

“I hope we do improve. It’s not the best facilities to be honest. Having just one turf ground back home and just a few turf training wickets.

“With the rain and draining system and all that stuff, we don’t get a lot of opportunity to train and play on turf wickets.”

Papua New Guinea is yet to win a match at the World Cup so far, but gave a very solid account of themselves against the might of Rashid Khan and Afghanistan as well as being competitive against the West Indies and Uganda.

Vala discovered cricket at 12 years of age when the Australian Test match summer was broadcast live into PNG – and his family would then take him out to play.

Anthony Albanese is pledging $60 million a year to bankroll a new NRL franchise in Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea’s cricketers are determined to make their country proud at this World Cup and believe with some Australian Government help, they can go to the next level.

“That would be unbelievable for them to step in and help, not just Papua New Guinea but the other (countries in the) Pacific region as well, with them the biggest cricketing nation of Pacific,” Vala said.

“It would be something that would be great.

“We don’t think of that stuff (like we are forgotten) … we just focus on ourselves and try to make the best out of what we have.

“It is what it is, rugby league has a lot of backing and funding, it’s the No.1 sport … but for them to support all the sports back home would be great.

“We don’t just want to go to one or two World Cups. We want to go to a lot of World Cups, starting with this one.

“If we can do that, (we can) get more recognised for us to get what we deserve.

“The support has been unbelievable from back home. A lot of messages.

“A lot of people who never followed cricket before are really backing us. People from back home who we don’t know, and from other sports as well, it’s been really encouraging and something that will motivate us as well that everyone back home are backing us.”