CRICKET match sa Pilipinas?
Kung marami sa Pinoy ang nagtataka, tunay na nilalaro na rin sa Pilipinas ang pamosong sports ng India, Pakistan at Australia.
'Pikon daw?' UAAP fan na nag-dirty finger, agaw-eksena sa San Juan Arena!
At gaganapin sa bansa ang kauna-unahang World Cup Cricket qualifier – ang International Cricket Council (ICC) World T20 East Asia Pacific (EAP) Qualifier Group B – sa Disyembre 1-7 sa Emilio Aguinaldo College sa Dasmarinas, Cavite.
Tampok ang mga koponan na Indonesia, Japan, South Korea at Pilipinas sa week-long event kung saan nakataya ang slots para sa World Cup next round na nakatakdang ganapin sa Papua New Guinea.
Ang World Cup ay nakatakda sa Australia sa 2020 na tinatayang may global television audience na 1.5 bilyon sa buong mundo.
“This is an exciting moment for Philippines cricket,” pahayag ni PH team captain Jonathan Hill, a Filipino-Australian dual citizen. “We have matured and grown together as a group over the last few years, and had some encouraging results in competitions overseas. I think we’re ready to take the next step. We’ve trained hard for this tournament and want to do well in front of our home crowd.”
Binubuo ang Philippine national team ng mga players na kabilang sa Philippine Cricket Association leagues at development programs, gayundin ang overseas-born Filipinos na nakapaglaro sa domestic leagues Australia at England.
Kabilang sa pambato ng Philippines si Henry Tyler, a second grade top-order batsman mula sa Melbourne, gayundin si Grant Russ, a swing bowler from Australia’s far north, at Daniel Smith, first grade fast bowler at state representative mula sa Sydney at nakapaglaro sa Kent at Hampshire sa England.
“I live for cricket. It’s what I’ve done all my life,” sambit ni Smith, nagdebut ng laro sa Philippines sa East Asia Pacific competition sa Australia sa nakalipas na taon. “To play cricket for my Mum’s country makes her extremely proud and that’s a really good feeling for me. I’m really excited to represent the Philippines on home soil for the first time.”
“I’d love to see Filipinos embrace their national team and come to the ground to support them,” said Faisal Khan, the local tournament director and general manager of the Philippine Cricket Association. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to see the stars of the game in the Philippines and from around Asia. T20 cricket is easy to understand and really exciting to watch. If you are 8 or 80 years old you will enjoy it. It’s a terrific family day out,” aniya.
