[Match Times Amended] Men’s Japan National Teams Announced for Upcoming Tournaments

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[2024/02/02 Amendment] The match time for the matches that were scheduled to start at 15:30 for the ACC Men’s Challenger Cup have been changed to start at 15:50.

[2024/02/09 Amendment] The match time for the matches that were scheduled to start at 14:30 for the Men’s East Asia Cup have been changed to start at 15:00.

Following the announcement that the Men’s Japan National Team will compete in the ACC Challenger Cup and East Asia Cup this February, the touring teams for each tournament are now confirmed. 

ACC CHALLENGER CUP

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming will again captain the team, with three members of the successful Japan Under 19 team promoted and aiming to represent Japan for the first time:

  • Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)
  • Ryan Drake (Sano Cricket Club)
  • Koji Hardgrave-Abe (Sano Cricket Club)*
  • Charles Hinze (University of Queensland Cricket Club)*
  • Kazuma Kato-Stafford (Akishima Aviators Cricket Club)*
  • Piyush Kumbhare (Tigers Cricket Club)
  • Wataru Miyauchi (Wyverns Cricket Club)
  • Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers Cricket Club)
  • Reo Sakurano-Thomas (Sano Cricket Club)
  • Alexander Shirai-Patmore (Tokyo Wombats Cricket Club)
  • Declan Suzuki-McComb (Cheltenham Cricket Club)
  • Ibrahim Takahashi (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)
  • Makoto Taniyama (MAX Cricket Club / Osaka Raiders Cricket Club)
  • Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake (Willetton Dragons Cricket Club)

 *Yet to represent Japan at senior level

The team will travel to Thailand on 31st January and play three group matches. The top two teams in group will progress to the Semi-Finals, with the two finalists qualifying for the ACC Men’s Premier Cup.

The fixtures are scheduled as follows: 

  • Thailand vs Japan: Friday 2nd February – 15:50
  • Maldives vs Japan: Sunday 4th February – 15:50
  • Singapore vs Japan: Tuesday 6th February – 11:30

Knockout matches are scheduled as follows: 

  • 5th Place Playoff, 7th Place Playoff: Wednesday 7th February
  • Semi-Finals: Friday 9th February
  • 3rd Place Playoff, Final: Sunday 11th February

Morning matches commence at 09:30 local time / 11:30 Japan Standard Time, afternoon matches commence at 13:30 local time / 15:50 Japan Standard Time.

All matches will be available to watch live on the Asian Cricket Council YouTube Channel and live scores can be followed on the ACC Match Centre.

Hardgrave-Abe, Kato-Stafford and Hinze in action at the U19 Asia Cup

EAST ASIA CUP

Following the conclusion of the ACC Challenger Cup, the team will travel to Hong Kong for the long-awaited defence of the Men’s East Asia Cup, last played in 2018.

There will be two changes to the travelling team as Piyush Kumbhare and Alex Shirai-Patmore have work commitments, meaning an opportunity for Muneeb Siddique Mian and Marcus Thurgate. 

The full travelling team is as follows:

  • Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)
  • Ryan Drake (Sano Cricket Club)
  • Koji Hardgrave-Abe (Sano Cricket Club)*
  • Charles Hinze (University of Queensland Cricket Club)*
  • Kazuma Kato-Stafford (Akishima Aviators Cricket Club)*
  • Muneeb Siddique Mian (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club) 
  • Wataru Miyauchi (Wyverns Cricket Club)
  • Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers Cricket Club)
  • Reo Sakurano-Thomas (Sano Cricket Club)
  • Declan Suzuki-McComb (Cheltenham Cricket Club)
  • Ibrahim Takahashi (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)
  • Makoto Taniyama (MAX Cricket Club / Osaka Raiders Cricket Club)
  • Marcus Thurgate (Chiba Sharks Cricket Club)
  • Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake (Willetton Dragons Cricket Club)

 *Yet to represent Japan at senior level

This will be a three-team tournament with hosts Hong Kong alongside China and Japan. Unfortunately Korea is unavailable to participate this time. 

Each team will play each other twice before a final on February 17th. The full schedule is as follows:

  • Hong Kong vs Japan: Wednesday 14th February – 15:00 
  • China vs Japan: Thursday 15th February – 10:00
  • Hong Kong vs Japan: Thursday 15th February – 15:00  
  • China vs Japan: Friday 16th February – 15:00
  • FINAL: Saturday 17th February – 10:00

All matches are scheduled to be live-streamed. Follow JCA’s official social media for further information and updates.

All matches will be shown on the Cricket Hong Kong YouTube Channel.

Please join us in wishing the players good luck for this next challenge!

JCA Official Social Media

Men’s National Team Partner

  • Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd.

Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. specialized in providing services and products related to ICT (information and communication technology). Partnering with various global ICT vendors and supporting more than 1,500 companies, MKI offers best-in-class solutions to customers.

Website: https://www.mki.co.jp/english/

Japanese Players to Play in South Africa

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Three members of the Women’s Japan National squad have accepted an invitation through Titans Cricket to participate in a three-team event in South Africa next month. 

Akari Nishimura, Elena Kusuda and Erika Oda will all participate in the “Global Cricket Tournament” which also features a player from Namibia in each team alongside the South African players and will run over three days from 4-6th January at Irene Country Club in Pretoria. 

The teams are Eastern Storm (Oda), DP World Lions (Kusuda) and Fidelity Titans (Nishimura) and each will play each other twice in the T20 format.

The players will depart Japan on December 23rd and will use the opportunity to watch international cricket at Super Sport Park Stadium in Pretoria as well as have some training sessions before the tournament gets underway.

Matches can all be watched live on the event website: https://globalcrickettournament.com/live-broadcast/ where the fixtures can also be seen.

Good luck to the players and thank you to Titans Cricket and Cricket South Africa for this exciting initiative.

Embassy Cup Raffle Supports Two Charities

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We would like to thank all those who supported the charity raffle that was held on Saturday 28th October during the Embassy Cup in aid of the two chosen charities. 

In total more than JPY 140,000 was raised for Mirai-No-Mori and Kodomo Shokudo – Chokotto. 

Both charities, which support underprivileged children, were visited in December as the funds were handed across and each expressed their gratitude to the cricket community for their generosity. 

Head of Cricket Operations at the JCA Alan Curr said: “We were delighted with the support the raffle received from the players and spectators at the Embassy Cup. A few individuals were incredibly generous while the general level of participation was so encouraging.”

He added that he hopes the JCA can continue to support worthy causes through JCA events in the future.

Men’s Japan National Team to Visit Thailand and Hong Kong

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The Men’s Japan National Team will start 2024 with back-to-back tournaments in Thailand and Hong Kong in February.

The team will follow in the footsteps of the Japan Under 19 team as they take their first steps on the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) pathway to the Asia Cup. 

Cricket Thailand will host the eight team Challenger Cup, starting on February 1st and concluding on February 11th with the two finalists qualifying for the ACC Premier Cup, with the date and venue of that event still to be announced. 

Following that, the Men’s East Asia Cup will be held in Hong Kong. The tournament will be similar in format to that of the Women’s East Asia Cup in 2023 with Hong Kong taking on China and Japan in a three-team event due to Korea being unable to participate. 

The matches are due to begin on Wednesday 13th and conclude with a Final on Saturday 17th February. The Men’s East Asia Cup was last held in 2018, also in Hong Kong, where Japan won the title for the first time. 

The touring teams for both events will be announced in early January, along with the match schedule and how the matches can be followed live.

JCA Official Social Media

Men’s National Team Partner

  • Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd.

Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., Ltd. specialized in providing services and products related to ICT (information and communication technology). Partnering with various global ICT vendors and supporting more than 1,500 companies, MKI offers best-in-class solutions to customers.

Website: https://www.mki.co.jp/english/

MKI becomes the Men’s National Team Partner in addition to the Women

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We are delighted to announce that Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. (MKI) have become the Men’s Japan National Team Partner in addition to the Women’s Japan National Team Partner.

MKI have been a valued partner of the Women’s Team for the last four years, supporting the team as well as the development of Cricket in Japan as a whole. The partnership has also extended to promoting the team through designing a new set of playing clothing, promoting diversity/health through corporate events, promoting Sano as a City of Cricket through workation initiatives and tourism/goods promotion. We are looking forward to working even more closely with MKI across various areas of interest.

JCA CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji said, “The environment around Cricket has evolved in the last year. International playing opportunities have increased to a much higher level than before COVID-19. We have also managed to significantly increase the number of live streamed matches we provide. This is attracting more fans from outside Japan as well as in Japan. The media’s interest in Cricket has  grown from different angles: economics, culture, local revitalisation, diverse players etc. Cricket was also added to the programme for the Olympic Games in 2028. As the environment has evolved, the challenges have as well. So we are greatly encouraged to be able to strengthen the partnership with MKI. We hope that their support will help the Men and Women’s Japan National Teams shine on the world stage, and attract new participants, fans, and partners to the sport.”

We have also received the following words from Mr. Tsutomu Kamohara, Executive Vice President & Executive Officer: “Our company has supported the Women’s Japan National Team for the last four years. Now, we have decided to support the Men’s team as well. We look forward to supporting both National Teams and the development of Cricket in Japan. At the same time, we are looking forward to building a new future with everyone who supports Cricket including the local communities that support the sport.”

  • Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd. (MKI)

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/

U19 Asia Cup: Japan End Record Breaking Year Against UAE

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The Men’s Japan Under 19 team ended an incredible year with a 107-run loss to the UAE in Asia Cup being hosted in Dubai. 

The win for UAE was enough to secure their place in the semi-finals of the event, while Japan is left to reflect on a year of high achievement that has torn up the record books.

Three players featured in all 14 matches, an appearance record for the Under 19 team, while captain Koji Hardrave-Abe with 423 runs, and Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake with 27 wickets, are both national records. 

The other player to feature in all games, Kazuma Kato-Stafford, has also been rewarded with a call up to the senior men’s team for the Asian Games earlier this year, and plenty of the players involved will be aspiring to higher honours. 

The team also won nine matches, including eight in a row, and have displayed significant growth as players across the season.

Competing at the Asia Cup represented a significant step up in the quality of opposition, but the improvement was evident as Japan took seven UAE wickets after the hosts chose to bat first and set a target of 321. Charlie Hinze was the standout bowler with two for 42 from his ten overs, while all five bowlers picked up at least one wicket.

The biggest step forward was with the bat, as Japan comfortably batted the 50 overs for the first time in Dubai, making 213 for four. Hardgrave-Abe top scored with 69 not out, while Hinze (40) and Yamamoto-Lake (31 not out) both made career best scores.

Coach Ardene Ruhode has watched all the matches and is delighted with the improvement made by his players: “We’ve seen the standard we have to reach, and we know we are not there yet, but these boys can definitely play and have shown a lot of people the talent Japan has. It’s exciting to see what they can do as they keep learning and improving.”

Regarding the game itself he said: “Both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka only made 220-230 against these bowlers, so we know we can hold our own with the bat. If we can take our chances in the field and keep developing our skills, we can be a match for some of these teams.”

The Under 19s will have another shot at the Asia Cup in late 2024, before participating in the East Asia Pacific Division One tournament in early 2025, with a place at the 2026 Under 19 World Cup on offer for the winners. 

All at the JCA would like to congratulate the team for their efforts and thank all the fans for their ongoing support in such a busy year.

JCA Official Social Media:

U19 Asia Cup: Bangladesh Too Strong For Japan

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The Men’s Japan Under 19 team put in another brave showing at the Under 19 Asia Cup in Dubai, but Bangladesh, the 2020 Under 19 World Cup Winners, were too strong. 

After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, Bangladesh were made to work hard to break an obdurate opening stand that lasted until the 10th over. 

Nihar Parmar was the mainstay at the top of the order, facing 80 balls for his 18 runs, which was supplemented down the order by 17 from Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake as Japan were bowled all out for 99 in the 48th over of the innings. 

The Bangladeshi openers came out all guns blazing with Ashiqur Rahman Shibli hitting eight boundaries on his way to 55* from just 45 balls. Although Charlie Hinze managed to knock over Jishan Alam for 29, Bangladesh were able to ease home by nine wickets. 

Japan will take on UAE on Wednesday, and the hosts will be full of confidence after a shock win over Sri Lanka in the other contest today. They will know that a win over Japan could secure their place in the Semi-Finals and the local support could be out in force. 

The fixtures are scheduled as follows: 

  • Sri Lanka vs Japan: Saturday 9th December
  • Bangladesh vs Japan: Monday 11th December
  • UAE vs Japan: Wednesday 13th December

Knockout matches are scheduled as follows: 

  • Semi-Finals: Friday 15th December
  • Final: Sunday 17th December

All matches commence at 09:30 local time / 14:30 Japan Standard Time. 

All matches will be available to watch live on the Asian Cricket Council YouTube Channel and live scores can be followed on the ACC Match Centre.

Please join us in wishing the players good luck for this next challenge!

JCA Official Social Media:

U19 Asia Cup: Japan Go Down Fighting against Sri Lanka

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The Men’s Japan Under 19 Team fought hard against a mighty Sri Lanka side in their opening match of the Under 19 Asia Cup in Dubai.

Ultimately Japan were defeated by seven wickets, but could take several positives from their performance. 

Captain Koji Hardgrave-Abe looked composed and well organised, striking 19 after Sri Lanka dismissed both Japanese openers without scoring. 

His dismissal led to a collapse of five wickets for just ten runs, and at 35 for eight Japan were very much in the mire. 

Charlie Hinze, just 15 years old, counterattacked with gusto, cracking four boundaries on his way to 36 from 52 balls; the highest score of the match. 

In a partnership of 37 with Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake, the ninth wicket pair doubled the Japan total before they were all out for 75 in the 31st over. 

With the ball the opening pair of Yamamoto-Lake and Kazuma Kato-Stafford caused plenty of problems, creating chances for catches as well as run-out opportunities as the Sri Lankan batters were never allowed to get comfortable. 

Yamamoto-Lake struck twice, with Kato-Stafford also picking up a wicket, but the Sri Lankans reached the total in the 14th over to take the points from the contest. 

Japan are back in action against Bangladesh on Monday 11th December at 14:30 Japan time.

The fixtures are scheduled as follows: 

  • Sri Lanka vs Japan: Saturday 9th December
  • Bangladesh vs Japan: Monday 11th December
  • UAE vs Japan: Wednesday 13th December

Knockout matches are scheduled as follows: 

  • Semi-Finals: Friday 15th December
  • Final: Sunday 17th December

All matches commence at 09:30 local time / 14:30 Japan Standard Time. 

All matches will be available to watch live on the Asian Cricket Council YouTube Channel and live scores can be followed on the ACC Match Centre.

Please join us in wishing the players good luck for this next challenge!

JCA Official Social Media:

 

2023 Japan Cricket Award Winners

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The 2023 Japan Cricket Association annual awards event was held at the MKI Advanced Technology Center in Tokyo on Saturday November 25th. The list of award winners for the 2023 season is below.

Japan Cricket Association Player of the Year (Men)

Winner: Sabaorish Ravichandran

Runner Up: Wataru Miyauchi

Third Place: Reo Sakurano-Thomas

Japan Cricket Association Player of the Year (Women)

Winner: Kurumi Ota

Runner Up: Ahilya Chandel

Third Place: Erika Oda

Japan Premier League

Champions: West Kanto Hurricanes

MVP: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Super Kings), 44 runs & 6 wickets

Best Bowler: Vinay Iyer (Hurricanes),9 wickets @ 3.2

Best Batsman: Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (Sunrisers), 138 runs @ 46.0

Womens Japan Premier League

Champions: Eastern Waves

MVP: Kary Chan (Waves), 89 runs & 5 wickets

Best Bowler: Jess Adams (Waves), 9 wickets @ 4.0

Best Batter: Kary Chan (Waves), 89 runs @ 29.7

Japan Cricket League – Division 1

Champions: Tigers CC

MVP: Reo Sakurano-Thomas (Sano), 390 runs & 21 wickets

Best Bowler: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers), 31 wickets @ 8.5

Best Batsman: Wataru Miyauchi (Wyverns), 500 runs @ 62.5

Japan Cricket League – Division 2

Champions: Tigers CC

MVP: Raman Tanwar (Kawasaki Knight Riders), 227 runs & 24 wickets

Best Bowler: Manoj Bhardwaj (Tigers), 24 wickets @ 8.1

Best Batsman: Shubham Shukla (Kawasaki Knight Riders), 486 runs @ 54.0

Japan Cricket League – Division 3

Champions: Sano CC

MVP: Uddika Pradeep (Sano), 215 runs & 14 wickets

Best Bowler: Sudesh Rangana (Sano), 16 wickets @ 9.3

Best Batsman: Surya Singh (Tigers), 232 runs @ 29.0

Japan Cricket League – T20

Champions: Tokyo Falcons CC

MVP: Abhishek Anand (Tokyo Falcons), 196 runs & 7 wickets

Best Bowler: Mandeep Singh (Tokyo Titans), 10 wickets @ 8.6

Best Batsman: Ruhul Kabir (Rising Stars), 185 runs @ 61.6

Japan Cricket League – T10

Champions: Men In Blue Tokyo CC

MVP: Vinay Iyer (Kawasaki Knight Riders), 291 runs & 13 wickets

Best Bowler: Vishal Patel (Men In Blue), 15 wickets @ 10.7

Best Batsman: Ankit Panwar (Men In Blue), 366 runs @ 45.7

Japan Cricket League – Umpires of the Year

Chris Thurgate & Mumtaz Alam

Japan Womens League

Champions: Kawasaki Knight Riders CC

MVP: Kurumi Ota (Kawasaki Knight Riders), 177 Runs & 5 wickets

Best Bowler: Meg Ogawa (Wyverns), 10 wickets @ 8.9

Best Batter: Haruna Iwasaki (Wyverns), 157 runs @ 52.3

Japan Cup Finals Tournament

Champions: Tigers CC

MVP: Sabaorish Ravichandran (Tigers), 114 runs & 7 wickets

Best Bowler: Piyush Kumbhare (Tigers), 9 wickets @ 6.2

Best Batsman: Malinda Dissanayake (Tuskers), 133 runs @ 66.5

Japan Cup T20 Regional Qualifiers

North Kanto Division 1 Champions: Ceylon XI. MVP: Zahid Gondal (Sultans of Japan).

North Kanto Division 2 Champions: Saitama United. MVP: Ghufran Mir (Saitama United).

East Kanto Division 1 Champions: Tokyo Falcons CC. MVP: Chanaka Madushanka (Tsukuba).

East Kanto Division 2 Champions: MIB Challengers. MVP: Md Alamgir (Rising Stars Warriors).

South Kanto Division 1 Champions: Tigers CC. MVP: Gurman Singh (Tigers).

South Kanto Division 2 Champions: British Embassy CC. MVP: Jack Savage (British Embassy).

West Kanto Division 1 Champions: Serendib Leos. MVP: Manoj Silva (Serendib Leos).

West Kanto Division 2 Champions: University XI. MVP: Dasun Miyoshi (Tokyo Phoenix).

Kansai Division 1 Champions: Kyoto Super Lions CC. MVP: Rangana Cooray (Kyoto Super Lions).

Kansai Division 2 Champions: Osaka Kings CC. MVP: Tomoya Yoshikawa (Keihan Blaze).

Tokai Champions: Kawasaki Knight Riders CC. MVP: Lav Singh (Kawasaki Knight Riders).

University Champions Wicket

Mens Champions: Waseda University

Womens Champions: Doshisha University

Kanto University Men’s Championship

Champions: Waseda University

MVP: Taku Inage (Waseda), 67 runs & 2 wickets

Best Bowler: Ryusei Ozeki (Waseda) 3 wickets @ ?

Best Batsman: Kazumasa Hiratsuka (Utsunomiya), 134 runs @ 44.7

Kanto University Women’s Championship

Champions: Waseda University

MVP: Meg Ogawa (Waseda) (115 runs & 6 wickets)

Best Bowler: Sayaka Saito (Waseda) (9 wickets @ ?)

Best Batter: Meg Ogawa (Waseda) (115 runs @ ?)

Japan Under 19 League

Champions: Tokyo Falcons CC

MVP: Nikhil Pol (Tokyo Falcons), 340 runs & 8 wickets

Best Bowler: Yuto Yageta (Sano Braves), 14 wickets @ 10.5

Best Batsman: Tomo Rear (Lions), 320 runs @ 160.0

Japan Under 15 League

Champions: GIIS

MVP: Timothy Moore (Lions), 324 runs & 11 wickets

Best Bowler: Juto Ball (Lions), 15 wickets @ 7.8

Best Batsman: Rishaan Ukhande (GIIS), 313 runs @ 88.3

Thank you to our Partners:

Platinum Partner

Women’s National Team Partner

Gold Partner

Tea Partner

Embassy Cap

Press Release Partner

Pearl Partner

Regional Revitalisation Partner

Supporter Club

City of Cricket Akishima Supporter Club
City of Cricket Sano Supporter Club

Team Selected for Men’s Under 19 Asia Cup

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We are excited to confirm the 14-strong team who will travel to Dubai next month to participate in the Men’s Under 19 Asia Cup. 

There are two changes to the group who finished third in the recently concluded Premier Cup in Malaysia, as the unavailable Nikhil Pol and Rithvik Sivakumar are replaced by Hirotake Kakinuma and Timothy Moore. 

The team will once again be captained by Koji Hardgrave-Abe and will depart Japan on Tuesday 5th December. 

The eight-team tournament consists of two-groups of four with Japan competing against the Under 19 teams from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and UAE, with the top two finishers in the group proceeding to the Semi-Finals. 

The travelling team is as follows: 

  • Koji Hardgrave-Abe (C) (Sano Cricket Club)
  • Chihaya Arakawa (Sano Braves Cricket Club)
  • Shotaro Hiratsuka (Sano Braves Cricket Club)
  • Charles Hinze (University of Queensland Cricket Club)
  • Hirotake Kakinuma (Sano Braves Cricket Club)
  • Kazuma Kato-Stafford (VC) (Akishima Aviators Cricket Club)
  • Hugo Kelly (University of Queensland Cricket Club)
  • Daniel Panckhurst (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
  • Nihar Parmar (Alpha Quashers Yokohama Cricket Club)
  • Aditya Phadke (Alpha Quashers Yokohama Cricket Club)
  • Timothy Moore (Lions Cricket Club)
  • Tomo Rear (Akishima Aviators Cricket Club)
  • Aarav Tiwari (Kawasaki Knight Riders Cricket Club)
  • Kiefer Yamamoto-Lake (Willetton Cricket Club)

 The fixtures are scheduled as follows: 

  • Sri Lanka vs Japan: Saturday 9th December
  • Bangladesh vs Japan: Monday 11th December
  • UAE vs Japan: Wednesday 13th December

Knockout matches are scheduled as follows: 

  • Semi-Finals: Friday 15th December
  • Final: Sunday 17th December

All matches commence at 09:30 local time / 14:30 Japan Standard Time. 

All matches will be available to watch live on the Asian Cricket Council YouTube Channel and live scores can be followed on the ACC Match Centre.

Please join us in wishing the players good luck for this next challenge!

JCA Official Social Media: