Japan Cricket Association Alan Curr Page 7

The Men’s Japan Under 19 National Team did not have the best of the weather on their tour of Singapore, with only one out of four matches successfully completed due to heavy rain.

In the first match, the team were unable to show their true form, perhaps tired from the previous day’s travel. Winning the toss and opting to bat first, Japan scored 207 despite Hugo Tani-Kelly’s 56 and Charlie Hinze’s 47. In contrast, Singapore passed the target with six wickets remaining. The bowling was steady but not outstanding, with four bowlers taking one wicket each. In the evening, the players enjoyed a Singaporean meal at the local market.

The next day, the match was initially postponed due to the wet ground and was eventually cancelled due to heavy rain, which prevented any play at all.

Monday was a rest day, and the players and team management enjoyed a tour of the city. One highlight was learning about Singapore’s history at the National Museum of Singapore. Seeing the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands was another.

In Tuesday’s third game, the toss was delayed because the ground was still wet. This time, Singapore won the toss and elected to bowl first. Japan finished with a total of 294 runs, thanks to an extraordinary innings from Nihar Parmar who scored 160, the highest score ever by a Japanese player.

He was supported by Kazuma Kato-Stafford (51) and Hinze (35). However, rain began to fall shortly after Singapore’s innings began, and eventually Singapore’s chase was cut short in the fifth over.

That evening, the team was invited to dinner with the Singapore players and their parents. The food and hospitality were first class, and the entire team enjoyed the evening.

Since the team was scheduled to fly out the following evening, the final game was due to be a 35-over game, but unfortunately this game was cancelled without a single ball being bowled because the ground was wet too wet.

With this disappointing conclusion, Japan’s tour of Singapore came to an end. The team would like to thank Chamal Siriwardena for organizing the tour and the Singapore Sports School for hosting the team.

The team are next in action in the ICC Men’s U19 WC EAP Division One 2025, with the final squad being announced for that on Monday 21st.