Records tumbled in Darwin today as our Men’s Under 19 National Team recorded a huge victory over Vanuatu with captain Koji-Hardgrave-Abe and bowler Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake both putting in stellar performances. 

Winning the toss and batting first, Japan were initially indebted to the new opening partnership of Nikhil Pol and Nihar Parmar who eased into the game with a solid partnership of 39 inside the first nine overs. Parmar, who made 24, struck a sublime extra-cover drive to the boundary in the fourth over to show why he had been promoted up the order, while Pol made 20 before being caught and bowled to be the first wicket to fall. 

Hardgrave-Abe was next in, and immediately looked at home as his first two deliveries were both sent racing to the cover point boundary. The captain never looked back and was particularly strong square of the wicket on both sides, but he did need support when Japan slipped to 115 for four. The support was provided by the obdurate Chihaya Arakawa, batting in a Japan shirt for the first time. His 28, before being run out by a direct-hit, played a vital role in a partnership of 115 as Hardgrave-Abe first moved to fifty, then to a highest ever score by a Japan Under 19 player as he passed the 68 made by Kazumasa Hitasuka four years ago. 

In the 45th over Hardgrave-Abe brought up his century with a simple push into the off side, raising his bat to the applause of his teammates and supporters. It came from 95 deliveries and he was eventually out in the final over for 127 having struck 15 boundaries and two sixes after an entertaining partnership of 66 with Kazuma Kato-Stafford (31). His innings is the highest score ever made in an international match by a Japanese player.

The total of 298 for seven felt like a winning score despite Vanuatu having enjoyed two days’ rest since their last match. It was then the turn of Yamamoto-Lake to take centre stage as he bowled with pace and venom to dismantle the Vanuatu batting line up. Initially he was grateful to Daniel Panckhurst behind the stumps for a couple of catches, one an excellent leg-side grab, before he started rattling the woodwork as his last four victims were all clean bowled on the way to sensational figures of seven wickets for just 11 runs, the best ever by any player in a Japan shirt.

Nikhil Pol also claimed two scalps while Hirotake Kakinuma finished the innings off for a second match in a row as Japan bowled Vanuatu all out for just 40 runs to record a victory by 258 runs, the biggest in terms of runs that the Under 19s have ever achieved. 

Speaking after the match, Hardgrave-Abe said: “The energy has been great in the team, responding really well since that first match against New Zealand. Everyone is working really hard, and it’s so good to know that all the teammates back each other to do their job.”

Coach Ardene Ruhode was equally effusive in his praise saying: “The team is moving in the right direction. For a young group, they’re playing some cricket that really belies their age. Of course, there are always areas of improvement for us, but they can be really proud of their efforts over the last two days. This is only the halfway stage so we want to finish as strongly as we can in the last three matches.”

That leaves the team with two wins in succession and second on the points table behind New Zealand having played a game less. 

Japan next play on Sunday 18th June against Samoa with the game again starting at 9 am Japan Standard Time.