WA Cricket furthers relationship Persatuan Cricket Indonesia with annual visit

Last month, 11 of WA Cricket’s High-Performance staff, including WA and Perth Scorchers Head Coaches Becky Grundy and Adam Voges and General Manager of High Performance & Elite Teams Kade Harvey spent five days with the PCI High Performance program in Bali, to further develop relationships between the two organisations, staff and players.  

WA Cricket Staff were able to visit the High-Performance headquarters based in Bali, to get a closer look into the facilities, a better understanding of their senior programs and run specialised training sessions for players.

“We sort of framed it up as an education week, but it was really just a chance to build a relationship with Indonesia Cricket more and support them where we can in developing their high-performance teams,“ Harvey explained.

“We’re trying to help support the growth of an associate nation to help the game get stronger internationally and I think that’s a nice thing for us to be able to do.”

The four pillars (High Performance Support, Athlete Development, Coach Development and Facility Development) of the initial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two organisations were once again the focus of the visit, as WA Cricket passes on its extensive knowledge to the budding cricketing nation. 

A high-level site visit to the proposed new stadium kicked off the week-long proceedings, with WA Cricket Turf Manager Nathan Saville joining representatives from PCI and ICC to review site plans, drainage, structural design and the plans for future infrastructure. 

Indonesian players participated in workshops on Sports Science and Sports Medicine undertaken by WA Cricket Head Physical Performance Coach and SSM Manager Toby Horak, while Lead Sport Psychologist and Head of Team & Player Development Jack Hudson-Williams gave players an insight into the importance of Mental skills as elite athletes.

Practical coaching sessions were also undertaken, led by Grundy and Voges. These sessions were designed to build capacity, encourage best practices, and introduce modern training techniques to support the growth of cricket in Indonesia.

“We were really impressed with the level of talent and passion and energy and love for the game," Harvey said.

“It is about how can we help them be more competitive and play a higher level of cricket.”

Umpire training also formed part of the visit, with the delivery of Level 2 Coaching and Level 1/2 courses guided by WA Cricket Umpire Coach and Talent Specialist James Hewitt. 

The visit concluded with a simulated match scenario, which allowed players, coaches and umpires the opportunity to apply and refine their newly accrued knowledge in real time. During these sessions, the Bali Consul-General, Ms. Jo Stevens, and consular staff visited the venue to meet participants and receive an update on the joint initiative.

Having developed into one of most successful High-Performance programs in Australian sport in recent years, WA Cricket will continue to pass on their extensive knowledge to Persataun by working closely together to develop tailored strength and conditioning programs for their athletes. 

“I think it shines a light on the pathway for those players to come through, to see a player come down and be part of one of the premier domestic tournaments in the world. I think it can only help inspire the next generation of players,” Harvey said. 

“We will look to keep expanding on that, whether there are opportunities for their players to play Premier Cricket here, we’d certainly be open to supporting that through the Premier Cricket system. 

“It’s early stages but the week was very helpful and hopefully, seeing players like Tori in the tournament, help from a pathway perspective.”

The WA Government through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries is a major supporter of WA Cricket and the game at all levels, including the Memorandum of Understanding with Persataun Cricket Indonesia.

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