Ross Taylor is coaching Papua New Guinea to help them qualify for World Cup 2019

Ross Taylor has turned into a helping hand, promoting and improving cricket in Papua New Guinea. In his column for stuff.co.nz, he writes he is in the United Arab Emirates with the Papua New Guinea team to help them qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. Taylor, who belongs to the Polynesian community, said he wants to give back to where he has come from.

He goes on to narrate that when he arrived for the coaching to UAE, he was impressed with the way cricket is setup there.

“The culture of the team is incredible. In true pasifika style, it is family orientated and a friendly team who were very welcoming. Culture goes a long way in cricket and this group has it in abundance. It is a big advantage how close they are as a team, especially when the going gets tough.”

He goes to narrate that he is closely working with the team, initially, he just spent time getting to know them better. He then emphasized on tackling different situations; the training methods and improving knowledge of the game.

“A lot of the guys’ longest form of cricket back home is two-day cricket, so adapting game plans to succeed in the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup has been a focus of our work.” he writes.

He feels that PNG has a good chance to qualify since they have enjoyed success in the shorter format of the when they played the World Cricket League Championship.

Taylor hopes that with his coaching, the team can perform better. He then reflects on how minnows like Ireland and Afghanistan are slowly becoming a force to reckon with, and he hopes the same for PNG.

He ends his column by saying that he is eagerly looking forward to seeing PNG reach new heights.