The JCA would like to thank the Mizuno Sports Promotion Foundation for providing a grant to the JCA to promote sport.
JCA CEO, Naoki Alex Miyaji attended the ceremony which was held on the 21st of June in Tokyo.
The grant will help the JCA spread the joy of playing Cricket and sport in general to as many children as possible through the Cricket Blast Programme.
The National Selection Committee for the Women’s Japan National Squads, chaired by Ardene Ruhode, have finalised the squad for 2024.
There are 13 Japan-based players selected, along with five more who are currently living overseas in Australia and England.
Ayaka Kato-Stafford and Rino Morita receive their first call ups and the selectors may decide to add new players to the squad based on performances during the season.
Women’s Japan National Squad
*Selected for the first time
In addition, eight players have been selected in the Women’s Development Squad, a new group for 2024.
This is an annual training squad consisting of talented players. The aim of the squad is to develop players that can represent Japan in the future.
Women’s National Development Squad
*Selected for the first time
Congratulations to all those selected and good luck for the year ahead.
Players in the Women’s Development Squad may be chosen to represent Japan in international tournaments.
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The National Selection Committee for the Men’s Japan National Squads, chaired by Dhugal Bedingfield, have confirmed the final selections for the 2024 season following the Japan Premier League and early rounds of the domestic season.
Benjamin Ito-Davis is the only new face in the squad, although Alester Kadowaki-Fleming and Abdul Samad are promoted from the 2023 Japan A squad.
*Selected for the first time
The Men’s Japan A Squad has also been finalised. Abhishek Anand is the only new addition following strong domestic performances, especially in the 2024 Japan Premier League, while Jake Kusuda-Nairn returns having previously featured in the National Academy squad in 2020/21.
*Selected for the first time
Congratulations to all those selected and good luck for the year ahead.
Players in the Japan A Squad may be chosen to represent Japan in international tournaments.
Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (MKI) specialized in providing services and products related to ICT (information and communication technology). Partnering with various global ICT vendors and supporting more than 2,500 companies, MKI offers best-in-class solutions to customers.
Website: https://www.mki.co.jp/english/
The Japan National Squads for 2024 have been announced. Please see the below links for all of the relevant squads.
Congratulations to all those selected and good luck for the year ahead.
We are delighted to confirm a host of new players selected for both the Japan Under 19 and Under 16 National Squads.
The squads have been chosen after monitoring the past performances of players while also factoring in those who impressed at the National Academy Trials and in the Japan Futures League
Age was the primary factor when considering the selection of players, with the ACC Asia Cup 2024 and Under 19 World Cup Qualification tournaments at the forefront of the selectors’ minds. As such, all players need to be born after September 1st 2005.
We are excited to see how the new players develop in the coming years and hope they all have long and successful cricket careers in Japan.
To be selected for the Under 16 National Academy Squad players needed to have been born on or after 1st September 2008, as we look towards the ACC East Zone Cup in 2025.
*Selected for the first time
Players in the Under 19 and Under 16 Squads may be called up to represent Japan at a higher level in international tournaments.
The JCA is delighted to announce that Tobu Railway Co., LTD. has become a JCA partner.
Tobu Railway provides a comfortable and reliable journey for Cricket fans and players to Sano City, the home to a total of nine Cricket grounds including the Sano International Cricket Ground (SICG). It connects stations such as Asakusa and Kitasenjyu in Tokyo to Sano or Tanuma in approximately 90 minutes.
The partnership will see Tobu Railway assisting the JCA to promote key events held at the SICG and the JCA supporting Tobu Railway events by providing Cricket experiences to participants. The partnership was signed for a year starting on the 1st of June 2024.
Naoki Alex Miyaji, CEO of the JCA said “I am excited about this new partnership with Tobu Railway. Tobu Railway connects the greater Tokyo area to the City of Cricket Sano. We aim to provide healthy and enriching sporting experiences to those who live along the railway and to work with Tobu Railway to connect International and diverse communities through the railway and Cricket.”
Tobu Railway’s massive network extends through Tokyo as well as four surrounding prefectures: Chiba, Saitama, Tochigi, and Gunma. With 463.3 kilometers of operating track, Tobu is Kanto’s largest private railway and is used by commuters, students, business travelers, and tourists. Tobu Railways is one of many companies that is part of the Tobu Group, which also operates health clubs, golf courses, theme parks, and hotels. These include Tobu World Square, where the world’s most famous structures are re-created at 1:25 scale; the Courtyard Marriott Ginza Tobu Hotel and the Tobu Hotel Levant Tokyo, operated in partnership with the Marriott Group. The Tobu Group also develops and manages condominiums, housing developments, department stores, and various other properties along its railways and in Tokyo as well.
Website: https://www.tobu.co.jp/en/
The Western Eagles won WJPL|02 in fine style with a stunning comeback to defeat 2023 champions Eastern Waves 2-1 in the three match series.
After a second successive last-ball contest on Saturday it looked like the Waves had the early initiative at the Sano International Cricket Ground.
After being asked to bowl first, the Waves struck early by running out Nanda Sakarini, but then had to wait until the 10th over to make further inroads, but that was when the innings turned.
Christelle Van Der Schyff delivered a devastated spell, striking twice in the 10th over, again in the 12th and another double blow, including top scorer Sathya Sandeepani (30) in the 16th over to finish with figures of five for 22 from her four overs.
That spell left the Eagles innings in ruins, and although a few late boundaries lifted them to a total to 85 for eight, the Waves looked extremely confident that their deep batting line up could chase the score.
However the Eagles have shown plenty of fight in this tournament and did so again, as four wickets fell for no runs to wreck the Waves top order and leave them struggling with just eight runs on the board.
Emmerson Filsell started the Waves demise before Rachel Andrew struck a double blow of her own. Shimako Kato then destroyed the middle order, taking three wickets for just five runs, before Sandeepani mopped up the rest to finish with three for 11 to bowl the Waves all out for just 45 and incredibly win the match by 40 runs.
Sandeepani was awarded the MVP for her performance with bat and ball, before the individual accolades were handed out as listed below.
Western Eagles Win Series 2-1
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The Western Eagles made sure there will be all to play for at the Sano International Cricket Ground on Sunday by securing a five-run win in Match Two of the WJPL T20 Series.
For the second day in succession the result went down to the final ball, but Emmerson Filsell did enough after captain Erika Oda had scored the first half century of the tournament earlier in the day.
Winning the toss and batting again, the Eagles showed much more intent to post a big score this time around as Rachel Andrew (42) set about the bowling early on.
It was when Oda (53) joined the Vanuatu star with the score at 36 for two in the seventh over that the Eagles really launched as a partnership of 66 from 40 balls propelled the team to a total of 136 for six from their 20 overs.
The Waves were more circumspect in the chase, never letting the required run rate get too high, but never able to get on top of it either.
Jess Adams (41*) played the anchor role while Selina Solman made sure the game went to the death with an aggressive 30 from 23 balls.
The Eagles kept their heads this time, learning from the previous day, meaning a final match showdown on Sunday awaits.
The Eastern Waves survived a late fightback from the Western Eagles to go take the first match of the T20 series off the final ball and win by four wickets.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Eagles were indebted to Rachel Andrew from Vanuatu, who provided some much needed impetus to the innings by striking 33 from 23 balls.
In doing so she did some damage to the figures of Erika Toguchi-Quinn (two for 26), who had the Eagles in a spin when dismissing their other two overseas stars.
A final total of 112 for six was perhaps below par, but the Eagles made sure the Waves had to work for the win.
After cruising to 66 without loss, the opening stand was broken in the 10th over when Maria Corazon Wombaki chipped a catch to Andrew, and whatever was said at drinks seemed to inspire the Eagles.
At 97 for three in the 16th over with just 16 runs needed, Andrew again came to the fore, dismissing the dangerous Haruna Iwasaki with an extraordinary catch by Sathya Sandeepani at cover, before clean bowling international teammate Selina Solman two balls later.
As the Eagles grabbed another in the next over the tension began to mount, but Mai Yanagida (22*) kept a cool head to steer the team home from the final ball of the match.
The Eastern Waves wrapped up a convincing 4-1 win in the inaugural Women’s Japan Premier League T10 series at the SICG on Thursday afternoon following a string of tight matches.
The series began with Haruna Iwasaki starring in a thrilling Super Over victory for the Waves over the Western Eagles on Tuesday, before they moved into a 2-0 lead on Wednesday morning.
Determined not to roll over however, the Eagles fought back to keep the series alive going into the final day by posting the highest score across the five matches in match three with Nanda Sakarini striking 49*, and successfully defending it.
However, on Thursday the Waves showed their dominance with some outstanding individual displays, most notably by Piumi Wathsala from Sri Lanka and Selina Solman from Vanuatu, who struck the only half century of the tournament, from just 20 balls to seal the series.
The T10 proved to be an ideal appetiser for the T20 series which begins tomorrow and the Waves look well placed to defend the title won last year.