News & Articles

Tani-Kelly Century Makes History at World Cup

  • 2026-01-18
  • News & Articles
  • National Team (Men U19)

Hugo Tani-Kelly hit a remarkable 101* against Sri Lanka as Japan opened their campaign at the Under 19 World Cup in Windhoek Namibia.

Coming in at number three to face the third ball of the innings, Tani-Kelly was still standing at the end, reaching his century with just one ball remaining in the match to spark joyous scenes in the crowd and among his teammates.

The innings included six boundaries and one towering six into the hospitality suite as he recorded only the 16th century by an associate cricketer in eight editions of the Under 19 World Cup, and just the third by an associate player against a full member.

Earlier in the day Timothy Moore had helped Japan fight back to some degree, taking Japan’s best figures at a World Cup (three for 43 – all bowled) as Sri Lanka posted 387 for four from their 50 overs.

Despite the eventual loss by 203 runs, the day marks a significant milestone in the Japan cricket journey as a player stood up against a full member nation and showed the fight that the team had talked about before the tournament began.

Match Schedule

  • 10th January (Saturday) 16:30 – Japan vs Tanzania (Japan lost by 81 runs)
  • 13th January (Tuesday) 16:30 – Japan vs West Indies (Japan lost by 229 runs)
  • 17th January (Saturday) 16:30 – Japan vs Sri Lanka (Japan lost by 203 runs)
  • 20th January (Tuesday) 16:30 – Australia vs Japan 
  • 22nd January (Thursday) 16:30 – Ireland vs Japan 

All times are Japan Standard Time. All matches are 50 Overs.

All matches will be available to watch on ICC TV and the JCA Social Media platforms will be active with plenty of content and behind the scenes clips – so be sure to follow closely!

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