The Japan Cricket Association is delighted to formally announce that we will host the Men’s Mongolia National Team for a seven-match T20 International Series in Sano this May. 

The series will begin on Tuesday 7th May and continue through to Sunday 12th May, with Friday 10th scheduled as a rest / reserve day. 

Mongolia are the newest members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) having been granted membership in July 2021, but have struggled for matches in that time. 

Both their men’s and women’s teams appeared at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023, but the two matches played in that event remain their only fixtures to date. 

Speaking ahead of the series the JCA Head of Cricket Operations Alan Curr said: “We are really pleased to be able to confirm this series and it has taken a lot of work behind the scenes.“We know how hard it can be to get fixtures when you’re first starting out so we hope that this opportunity can be a great experience for both sets of players.”

He went on to say: “Mongolian culture has a strong presence in Japan already through their outstanding success in Sumo over the last 30 years, so I think our fans will be keen to see how they perform in cricket.”

Men’s Head Coach Dhugal Bedingfield has named the following team for the series: 

• Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)
• Kohei Kubota (Wyverns Cricket Club / Keio University Knights Cricket Club)
• Koji Hardgrave-Abe (Sano Cricket Club)
• Charles Hinze (University of Queensland Cricket Club)
• Benjamin Ito-Davis (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)*
• Kazuma Kato-Stafford (Akishima Aviators Cricket Club)
• Wataru Miyauchi (Wyverns Cricket Club)
• Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers Cricket Club)
• Reo Sakurano-Thomas (Sano Cricket Club)
• Abdul Samad (Wombats Cricket Club / Kobe Hawks Cricket Club)*
• Alexander Shirai-Patmore (Tokyo Wombats Cricket Club)
• Declan Suzuki-McComb (Sano Cricket Club)
• Ibrahim Takahashi (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)
• Makoto Taniyama (Sano Cricket Club / Osaka Raiders Cricket Club)
• Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake (Sano Cricket Club)*
• Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake (Sano Cricket Club)

*Yet to represent Japan at senior level

On the selection Bedingfield said: “It was a difficult squad to select with a few players unavailable for work or school commitments, but that allows us to have a look at new players. Both Abdul Samad and Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake have earned their opportunity while Ben Ito-Davis is a player we’ve wanted to be involved for a while, and his relocation to Japan has enabled that.” 

He added that with captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming only available for the first four matches, a replacement may be called in based on performances in the preceding Japan Premier League.

The full match schedule is below and we wish the team the best of luck. 

• Match 1: Tuesday 7th May, 11:00
• Match 2: Wednesday 8th May, 09:30
• Match 3: Wednesday 8th May, 14:00
• Match 4: Thursday 9th May, 11:00
• Match 5: Saturday 11th May, 09:30
• Match 6: Saturday 11th May, 14:00
• Match 7: Sunday 12th May, 11:00

All matches will be live streamed with both Japanese and English Commentary on the Japan Cricket YouTube page, so make sure you subscribe to avoid missing out! .

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