Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama says he has every faith the ICC Men's T20 World Cup trophy will one day return to Fiji on the shoulders of a victorious national cricket side.
Bainimarama received the trophy yesterday which is on its world tour.
He says seeing a trophy like this on our shores is an inspiration to all of our national cricketers and to everyone who follows and competes in this sport across our islands.
Bainimarama says as this trophy departs for the next stop on its tour, we know it will not be the last time it comes to Fiji.
He says the first match recorded in Fiji was in 1878, six years before the first game of rugby was played in Fiji and for nearly a century and a half, this sport has inspired and united our people.
The Prime Minister says Team Fiji’s victory over the West Indies in 1956 is among our first and proudest international wins as a soon-to-be sovereign country.
Bainimarama says those moments of celebration and solidarity help make a nation and that was as true in 1878, as it was in 1956, and as it is today.
He has also wished the Fijian men’s national cricket team well in their participation in the East Asia Pacific World Cup Qualifier in Vanuatu from next week and to the women’s side as they prepare for the inaugural Pacific Cup in October in Vanuatu.
Former captain of the New Zealand national team, Ross Taylor says Fiji has a big opportunity as being only one game away from playing the biggest tournament in the world.
He has also wished them all the best for the East Asia Pacific World Cup Qualifier and the inaugural Pacific Cup in Vanuatu.
