October 12 Saturday 2002
Japanese cricketer works out in Australia

ADELAIDE, Australia: Japan's Tetsuo Fuji is one of 14 cricketers from emerging cricket nations spending a fortnight working out at Australia's cricket academy here.

The Australian Cricket Board said on Friday that 14 players and two coaches from Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu would train at the academy from October 14 to 25 under senior coach Wayne Phillips.

Fuji captained his country at the Asian Cricket Council Trophy in Sharjah in 2000 where he dismissed two batsmen with consecutive balls, one bowling right-hand medium pace and the other with left-arm spin.

The visit is a joint initiative of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) East Asia-Pacific region development programme and the ACB to promote and develop the game beyond their traditional boundaries.

The cricketers will be shown through the academy's facilities and given advanced coaching and training programmes by the academy staff. They will also sit for an introductory umpire course and visit local schools.

The academy is responsible for the development of current Australian Test cricketers, Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer and Brett Lee.