Cook Islands Cricket Association has finalised the team competing in next week’s 2024 SouthSeas Pacific Cup - International Women’s Tournament in Auckland - starting on Tuesday (Cook Islands time).

The national side led by captain Tetiare Mataora includes Mummy Elikana, Ioane Evangelean, Zamera Ikiua, Koitai Mataora, Tailor Miaka, Maya Piakura, Tapuaiva Piakura, Angite Ruarau, Sofia Samuels, Sonnia Vaia and Esther Williams.

The 2024 Pacific Cup will be held at the Lloyd Elsmore Park (Tamaki Makaurau Auckland) and will see five East Asia Pacific nations, Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Vanuatu, including the Aotearoa Māori select team competing for the title.

The tournament will be hosted by New Zealand Cricket and will be broadcast live on TVNZ and SKY Pacific.

Teams will face each other through pool play, culminating in a grand final on Sunday, January 21.

Cook Islands will take on Samoa in their first match followed by Fiji on Tuesday.

The T20 games against the EAP nations will offer ranking points, while matches against the Aotearoa Māori team will be friendly exhibitions. association president Grant Walker earlier said.

This week the association played 13 friendly matches (seven men’s and six women’s) against the Auckland University Cricket Club and Kumeu Cricket Club.

They were trial matches for the men’s side preparing for 2024 ICC World Cup qualifier in Samoa later in the year and warm-ups to the Pacific Cup for the women. 

The association took some new players from Rarotonga and included some New Zealand based players.

Walker said: “I am thrilled at the passion, talent, and desire of the teams we are building. I think we have a chance to make history in the coming years.” 

He said the Auckland University Cricket Club has given them approval for the use of their new state of the art facility.

“It’s been an amazing tour for Cook Islands Cricket and it’s just started! We’ve been given the use of the AUCC High Performance centre as well,” he said.
Both the men’s and women’s teams played at Kumeu Cricket Club yesterday before attending the Black Caps T20 match against Pakistan last night.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Pacific Cup will also represent an opportunity for nations to build capability around cricket with coach, umpire, and player development sessions planned for attendees.
The tournament will be officially opened with a pōwhiri on Tuesday.

Māori and Pacific cultures will be on full show at the cultural evening on Friday. 

Fixtures

Tuesday: 10:30am - Cook Islands v Samoa; 3:00pm: Cook Islands vs Fiji; Wednesday: 3pm - Papua New Guinea vs Cook Islands; Thursday: 10:30am: Aotearoa Māori vs Cook Islands, 3pm: Cook Islands vs Vanuatu; Saturday: 10.30am: 3rd vs 4th playoff, 5th vs 6^th, Grand final (1st vs 2nd).