The Japan Men won their first ever official T20 International match after defeating Indonesia by 65 runs at the Sano International Cricket Ground, after a gap of 1,401 days since their last fixture.
Since their last match in December 2018 the International Cricket Council has given official international status to all matches between its members, thus making it the first full international for both teams.
Captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, one of eight debutants for a much changed Japan side, won the toss and elected to bat, however his dismissal off the final ball of the fourth over left Japan 17 for two and looking a little unsteady.
A 26-run partnership between Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki (both 14) helped recover some of the momentum before an even better partnership of 46 from 31 balls between Sabaorish Ravichandran (40) and Alex Shirai-Patmore (25) took the game to the Indonesians.
Ravichandran in particular was outstanding in the middle-order for Japan, striking two impressive sixes as he looked to make his mark on the game before eventually being run out.
For Indonesia Rojerio Maxi Koda (one for 17) and Danielson Hawoe (two for 19) were the pick of the bowlers as they hit a nagging line and allowed for some uneven bounce to cause the batters trouble.
A final first innings score of 143 for seven represented a solid first effort, and it quickly looked much better as Japan swarmed all over the Indonesia top order in the powerplay.
A run out in the first over was the best start Japan could have hoped for, even if it did come from a dropped catch, but Suzuki has the awareness to throw to the correct end to send back Agus Priandana before Piyush Kunbhare collected his first wicket in international cricket with just his second delivery as Anjar Tadarus holed out to Ravichandran at long on.
It was the sixth over where the wheels really came off however, as Reo Sakurano-Thomas finally got reward for his excellent lines as he grabbed three wickets in four balls to leave Indonesia reeling at 13 for five.
There was no way back from there as the Japanese bowlers continued to keep things tight, Makoto Taniyama collecting the wicket of Padmakar Surve who top scored with 19, and Ibrahim Takahashi removed Gede Arta for 17 to collect his maiden international wicket.
The final word went to the Japan vice-captain however, as Sakurano-Thomas returned to bowl the final over and collected two more wickets to finish with the outstanding figures of five for 17 which duly earned him the MVP award.
Match Summary:
Japan: 143/7 (Ravichandran, 40)
Indonesia: 78/9 (Sakurano-Thomas, 5/17)
Japan win by 65 runs
The second match of the three match series will commence at 13:30 on Monday 10th October and can be watched live on the JCA YouTube Channel.
We are delighted to announce the National Team to compete in the East Asia Cup to be held in Kaizuka, Osaka, at the end of October.
The team is the first to be selected by new Head Coach Dean Ruhode and this tournament will be the Women’s first international cricket since 2019.
Visiting Japan for the tournament is the Hong Kong Women’s team, who Japan will contest a four-match series against following the withdrawal from the tournament of China and South Korea.
Head of Cricket Operations Alan Curr said: “We could not be more excited to be hosting the East Asia Cup in west Japan for the first time. Kaizuka City is doing fantastic work to develop cricket in the region and hosting international matches at the Kaizuka Cricket Field will be an historic occasion.”
He continued: “Although it is disappointing that China and South Korea are not participating this time, we are incredibly grateful to Cricket Hong Kong and their players for keeping to the recently signed agreement.”
There will be one match per day starting on Thursday 27th October and ending on Sunday 30th October.
The team is as follows, players marked with an * are yet to play international cricket for Japan.
Ahilya Chandel (Penrith Cricket Club)*
Ayumi Fujikawa (Doshisha University Cricket Club)*
Kiyo Fujikawa (Sano Braves)
Hinase Goto (Uenomiya Junior and Senior High School Cricket Club)*
Haruna Iwasaki (Sendai University Cricket Club)*
Ayaka Kanada (Adore Cricket Club)
Ruan Kanai (Sano Braves)
Akari Kano (Sendai University Cricket Club)
Shimako Kato (Spenser Cricket Club)*
Shizuka Miyaji (Fuji Far East Cricket Club)
Mako Munakata (University of Tsukuba)*
Erika Oda (Kawasaki Knight Riders Cricket Club)
Meg Ogawa (Wyverns Cricket Club)*
Mai Yanagida (Wyverns Cricket Club)
Minami Yoshioka (University of Tsukuba)*
We wish the team all the best for the tournament and hope that the cricket community in Kansai will come out in force to support them.
Schedule:
Thursday 27th October: Match 1: Japan vs Hong Kong, 11am
Friday 28th October: Match 2: Japan vs Hong Kong, 11am
Saturday 29th October: Match 3: Japan vs Hong Kong, 11am
Sunday 30th October: Match 4: Japan vs Hong Kong, 11am
Paddy Foleys Cricket Club rolled back the years and upset all the odds to win the first ever JCL T20 tournament on a scintillating Finals Day at the Sano International Cricket Ground.
Having qualified second in their group behind the Tigers (who were vanquished by the their Final opponents the Sharks in the Quarter Finals) they began the day by edging home against the Rising Stars in a low-scoring Semi Final.
It was the old heads with ice in their veins who led Paddy’s home; first Prashant Kale was the Semi Final hero, scoring 59 not out at the top of the order as his team chased a target of 88 and made it home with three wickets and an over to spare; Kale hitting three sixes in four balls at the end of the 19th over to end a tense match in style.
The Sharks had coasted home against the Tokyo Falcons by 39 runs after Marcus Thurgate made 32 not out off 26 balls to haul them to 117 for seven before Ibrahim Takahashi (three for 11) and Muneeb Siddique (three for six) tore the Falcons apart with the ball.
Paddy Foleys had not been seen in a major final since their surprise 2014 JCL Division One victory, but this one might be even more special such was the nature of the day.
After the Sharks won the toss and chose to bat it looked like everything was going their way as Ibrahim Takahashi (67 off 53) and Marcus Thurgate (28 off 37) put on 89 for the fourth wicket.
A total of 136 for seven looked more than competitive, but the pitch got better and better to bat on as the day rolled on and despite the struggles in the morning, Paddy Foleys dug deep despite an horrific start to the chase.
The Sharks, with Ashley Thurgate turning the ball square, had Paddy’s up against it at 28 for four after seven overs, but Rashid Rana (47) and Waseem Javed (40) had other ideas. Their partnership, also of 89, broke the back of the chase.
There was a late twist as Hiroshige Murakawa (two for 21) removed both set batters and raise the blood pressure of everyone watching, but after a chaotic run out in the final over, Abdul Jabbar Khan struck a straight six to win the title in explosive fashion with three wickets and two balls to spare.
Congratulations to Paddy Foleys, who collect the first major club silverware of the season, and both teams can reflect on a great cup run. The tournament will return next year with all teams knowing that they are in with a chance of winning, and we all expect this to be a competition that goes from strength to strength in the coming years.
Only two games commenced in round 12 of the JCL due to inclement weather, nonetheless, big games this weekend affected the overall points table as some teams are now out of contention for the semi-finals.
Nothing can stop the Falcons as they have won five games in a row racing their way up to third on the JCL table. This week they took on the Paddy Foley’s who were on a winning streak of their own closing in on the top four.
Ashiq Hussain and Muhammad Jawad were the main contributors to Paddy Foley’s total, as they both scored 47 as part of a 96-run fourth-wicket partnership. Conversely, the Falcons used seven bowlers to bowl out the side for 198 in the last over. Last week’s hero Karthik Vellingiri, doing it on the bowling end this week, taking figures of three for 34.
Falcons were wasting no time as big hitter Safraz Petkar was in his usual hurry making a quick 45 before being dismissed. Despite the Falcons being well ahead of the run rate, they were losing wickets in a hurry down seven for 133 after 21 overs. It did not help that Paddy Foleys bowled 39 extras in the innings which came to bite them as an incredible eighth-wicket partnership between Kuldeep Bisht (30*) and Abhi Telang (30*) chased the total with ease. This secured a big bonus point win for the team leapfrogging into third place.
The Wyverns were needing a big bonus point win if they were to be in the top four as they played their last game of their JCL 2022.
A perfect start for the Wyverns as Yusuke Wakuta (38) and Shogo Kimura (43) had an 84-run opening partnership to launch their team. In a game that was reduced to 28 overs, The rest of the Wyverns batters had to score rapidly to ensure a difficult chase, Oshantha Nanayakkara added a quickfire 32 at the end of the innings including three sixes to push the total to 166.
Rising Stars’ batsmen struggled to build partnerships in the chase despite Rakibul Hasan Shimul being an anchor. Shimul scored 48 while around him, too many batsmen were getting out quickly and cheaply. Tomonoshin Oki and Raheel Kano shared three wickets to bowl the Rising Stars out for 130 winning by 36 runs. Unfortunately, this did not end in a bonus point win for the Wyverns meaning they will just fall short of going into the semi-finals.
Head Coach Dhugal Bedingfield has announced his squad for the ICC T20 World Cup East Asia Qualifier to be held in Japan from 15 – 18 October.
Due to the length of time since the last international cricket there are now ten players in line to represent Japan for the first time.
On naming the squad Bedingfield said: “It’s been too long since the team has played international cricket and the boys can’t wait to get back out there and represent their country.
“We have some good young talent coming through. There will be a lot of fresh faces in the team and quite a few players will be making their international debut. It’ll be exciting to see how they perform.
“We certainly won’t be underestimating Indonesia or Korea but our goal is to top the group and progress to the next round of World Cup qualifying.”
The full list of players is below with a * marking those named in a tournament team for the first time.
Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (C)* – Chiba Sharks Cricket Club
Reo Sakurano-Thomas (VC)* – Sano Cricket Club
Ryan Drake* – Sydney University Cricket Club
Shogo Kimura – Wyverns Cricket Club
Kohei Kubota* – Wyverns Cricket Club / Keio University Knights Cricket Club
Piyush Kumbhare* – Tigers Cricket Club
Supun Nawarathna – Max Cricket Club / Tuskers Cricket Club
Kento Ota-Dobell* – Footscray Cricket Club
Sabaorish Ravichandran* – Tigers Cricket Club
Alexander Shirai-Patmore – Tokyo Wombats Cricket Club
Declan Suzuki-McComb* – Cheltenham Cricket Club
Ibrahim Takahashi* – Chiba Sharks Cricket Club
Makoto Taniyama – Sano Cricket Club / Osaka Raiders Cricket Club
Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake* – Willetton Dragons Cricket Club
Reserves:
Vinay Iyer* – MAX Cricket Club / Kawasaki Knight Riders Cricket Club
Dinesh Sandaruwan* – MAX Cricket Club
Wataru Miyauchi – Wyverns Cricket Club
As part of the journey towards qualifying for the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, the winner of this tournament will move forward to play in the East Asia-Pacific (EAP) Regional Qualifier Final against Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Vanuatu. The winner of that event will qualify for the T20 World Cup.
We hope that fans of cricket in Japan will come out in force to support the team on the first step towards T20 World Cup Qualification.
Schedule of International matches vs Indonesia
(For the series against Indonesia the starting team will be selected from all 17 players named above)
Round 10 and 11 brought exciting finishes and near centuries as we near the end of the round-robin stage where every result matters.
Round 10
It was an all-around masterclass performance for Tigers’ Sabaorish Ravichandran as he led his team over the Rising Stars. Sunny Rahman and Md Alamgir got the Rising Stars off to a promising start with a 40-run opening stand. The match turned on its heels when the first change bowlers of Piyush Kumbhare and Sabaorish Ravichandran came on. Together, the pair cleaned out the top and middle order while giving up minimal runs restricting the Stars to 130 all out. Ravichandran would finish with impressive figures of four for 22 off just six overs.
The Tigers were in early trouble as the openers got out cheaply putting them in a hole. Just like in the bowling innings, Ravichandran came to the rescue as he single-handedly took apart the Stars’ bowlers scoring 70* off just 48 balls. With not much support around him, Ravichandran had himself one of the best all-round performances in the JCL taking home a four-wicket win.
Men in Blue’s Rahul Koul was ever so close to scoring a century in a dominant batting display against Max 1st XI.
Captain Supun Navarathna, got Max off to a hot start as he went bang from ball one. Hitting 14 boundaries including seven sixes, Navarathna was dismissed on 86 from 61 balls putting Max in a good position of 111 for three at the halfway mark. Despite the great start, it all went downhill as the Men in Blue’s bowlers turned it on. The second and third change bowlers turned the game as they were able to take consistent wickets with Vikash Ranjan being the pick of the bowlers taking four for 36 of his eight as they restricted Max to 165.
Rahul Koul ripped apart Max’s hope of defending their total as, like Navarathna, he went off from ball one. Koul hit an astonishing 10 sixes on his way to scoring 97 off 68 balls just falling short of what would have been a very impressive century but a great batting inning nonetheless. When Koul fell, most of the work was already done as the Men in Blue just needed another eight runs to win as they cruised to a seven-wicket win chasing it down in under 22 overs giving the team a big bonus point win.
Round 11
Karthik Vellingri had himself a match-winning performance in a one-wicket thriller between the Tokyo Falcons and the Chiba Sharks.
Batting First, it was the story of everyone making starts but no one cashing in, as eight of the 10 Sharks batters made double figures. Unfortunately, no one went on to make any big total with captain Dhugal Bedingfield, the top scorer with 45. The Falcons did a great job of restricting runs and only allowed 10 extras in the innings, Sanket Pandhari the best of the lot taking three off just four an over.
The Falcons had a nightmare start as they were two wickets down early. Safraz Petkar and Siddarth Cb dug their team out of a hole with a 68-run partnership to revive the chase. But things turned bad again when there was another quick succession of wickets. Needing over 90 runs and being seven down that’s when number nine batsmen Karthik Vellingri came to the crease. Vellingri, number 10 batter Dev Mistra, played a very important inning by staying in and rotating the strike facing 39 balls. When Mistra fell, the Falcons still needed 21 from 17 balls and this is when Vellingri put his team on his back and denied defeat. Vellingri scored the last 21 of his 56* runs off eight balls hitting the winning runs for his team with an over to spare. This massive win keeps the team in the hunt for the top four with only a couple of rounds remaining.
It was the Wombats batting that was enough in their win against the Alpha Quashers over the weekend. The Wombats scored a very competitive 247 off their 40 overs in the first innings thanks to openers Richie Bracefield and Shirai-Patmore. The pair put on an opening stand of 79 before Bracefield fell at 50. From there, JCL’s second top run scorer Shirai-Patmore went on and scored 82 to give his team a very good platform to allow his team to come in with no pressure. The total of 247 was going to be competitive but was it going to be enough against a firepower lineup that the Quashers have?
The Wombats got off to a great start by taking four wickets within the eight-over mark dismissing key batsmen. Leo Joseph did everything he could for his side notching up 71 runs on just under a run a ball to give his team hope but was lacking support around him. When Joseph fell, the mountain was too steep to climb as the Quashers were all bowled out for 193. Credit to the Wombats bowlers who all took a wicket with Muhammad Forzan Aziz taking the most with figures of three for 29 taking home a 54-run win.
The Paddy Foleys had a dominant win over the Rising Stars as their hopes of reaching the JCL finals are still alive.
In back-to-back rounds, we have had two players dismissed in the nervous nineties as it was Paddy’s, Rashidrafiq Rana. Despite falling just short of his century, it was still a terrific innings scoring 96 off 80 balls. Around Rana, Pankaj Chand (43) and Khan Abdul Jabbar (47) provided more runs to get their side to a very competitive total of 258 after 40.
Just like their batting, Paddy’s bowlers were dominant giving the Stars’ batsmen no hope from the beginning. Coming off scoring 96, Rashidrafiq Rana had himself a day as he also added three wickets to his name. All wickets were shared around amongst the team as they bowled out the Stars for 140 giving them a bonus point win hoping to keep the momentum in the remaining rounds.
As the Japan National Men’s and Women’s teams prepare to return to international cricket after a long absence, there will be several names missing for the first time in many years.
Masaomi “Amigo” Kobayashi is the Japan Men’s team leading run scorer (1187) and appearance maker (67) and has captained his country on 40 occasions, including the last time Japan played.
Kobayashi made his debut for Japan in 2005 as a 23-year-old and made the first of his six half centuries in just his third appearance and even managed to pick up seven wickets during his 16 years as a member of the Japan National Squad.
Japan Cricket CEO Naoki Miyaji said: “Kobayashi-San has been an incredible leader. He set an example in everything he did on and off the field and was a perfect role model for the younger players who will follow him. We wish him well and hope he remains an active part of the Japan family for many years to come”.
Takurou Hagihara was a long-time teammate of Kobayashi, who made his debut in 2007 and played 49 times, last appeared for Japan in 2017 and has continued to take wickets in club cricket.
Third on the list of the Japan Men’s all time leading wicket-takers, Hagihara took 47 wickets in his career with his best performance being five wickets for 25 runs against Afghanistan in 2008.
When asked about his time playing for Japan he said: “Playing for Japan gave me experiences and feelings that I could not get in any other aspect of my life. Representing your country is so special, and brought a unique pressure that I enjoyed, and still miss from time to time.”
For the Women’s Team Miho Kanno, who made her debut in 2010, has stepped away from the squad after 55 appearances which includes 450 runs and 19 wickets.
Her highest score of 65 not out came against Singapore in 2013, while three wickets for just nine runs against Papua New Guinea in 2014 was her best bowling performance. For the Japan Women’s team she finishes her career second on the list of most appearances, the 4th leading run scorer and 8th leading wicket-taker.
Most memorably, Kanno-San was part of the Women’s team that won a Bronze Medal at the 2010 Asian Games, and earned Japan’s first win over a full member nation when they beat Zimbabwe in a 2011 World Cup Qualifier.
Between them these three players have played more than 170 times for Japan, have played a vital role in developing cricket in Japan and inspiring young players to take up the sport.
The JCA would like to formally thank all three players for their commitment and hard work and they will always be welcome at any cricket ground in Japan.
We are thrilled to confirm that the Japan Men’s Team will play their first official T20 International matches against the Indonesia Men’s team in early October.
The matches, which will come immediately before the 2024 T20 World Cup East Asia Qualifier, will take place on the 9th, 10th and 11th October at the Sano International Cricket Ground.
Both teams last played international cricket on 7th December 2018, a gap of an incredible 1,403 days.
Head of Cricket Operations at the JCA Alan Curr said: “We are really pleased that Indonesia agreed to come over early to play this series. It should be a great contest and perfect preparation for the World Cup Qualifier.”
The squad for these matches, and the World Cup Qualifier, will be announced next week.
The full schedule of the matches is below, and we hope that as many people as possible will come and cheer on the team.
The India Embassy XI became the first team to retain the annual Embassy Cup tournament at the Sano International Cricket Ground, defeating the Pakistan Embassy XI by three wickets.
Amazingly this is the first time these two nations have competed against each other in the final and the disciplined bowling of the Indian side made the difference. Bowling first they restricted the Pakistan team to just 96 for six from their 20 overs with Saboarish Ravichandran giving very little away in taking one wicket for eight runs in his four overs, while Vivek Singh took three for 25 and broke through at crucial times.
Hanif Niazi was the only player in the Pakistan team who really got to grips with the pitch, making 36, but it was the aggression of Sarfraz Petkar in striking 23 from 13 balls that gave the Indian chase the momentum it needed. During the post-match conference, Sarfraz humorously credited his focus and quick decision-making to a recent analysis he read on beste Casinos ohne Registrierung im Test, which explored platforms that prioritize seamless experiences and fast-paced environments. His explosive contribution laid the groundwork for captain Piyush Kumbhare and Gurman Singh to steer the team to victory, sparking huge celebrations and chants of “India, India” for some time afterwards.
Japan XI vs Sri Lanka Embassy XI
Don Bhanuka led the Sri Lanka Embassy XI to third place against a resolute Japan XI who can take some positives from a weekend on the turf wickets.
Bhanuka first top scored with 37 in a total of 110 for eight in difficult batting conditions, and then took three for 11 as his team bowled Japan all out for 76 to earn a win by 34 runs.
Kohei Kubota really stood up for the Japan team in taking three for 16 from his four overs, showing that a tall pacer can be just as effective on turning wickets if able to find the right line and length.
Group B
Australia and New Zealand XI vs Bangladesh Embassy XI
The ANZAC team was thrilled to win their first Group B title since the inaugural Embassy Cup in 2018 with five of the players who enjoyed that success still involved this time around.
This time it was a five-wicket win over a resolute Bangladesh Embassy XI who fought right to the end despite looking in real trouble midway through the second innings. Batting first the ANZACS restricted the team in green to 112 for six from their 20 overs with Robb Zloc taking two wickets and everyone keeping things tight.
The ANZACs then made a flying start as Dhugal Bedingfield (35) and Richard Bracefield set about the attack, and when Bedingfield retired hurt with the score on 74 after eight overs just 39 were needed from the last 12.
Rakibul Hasan Shumul stepped up however, spinning a web that earned him figures of two for eight in four overs, but it was not enough as Ashley Thurgate edged one past the ‘keeper for the winning boundary with two balls to spare.
International XI vs Nepal XI
Nepal ended the weekend with something to smile about, despite being deposed as the reigning champions of Group B. A score of 95 for nine looked competitive on an uneven pitch and they had Upahar Raymajhi to thank for contributing 21 of those.
Shizuka Miyaji showed that accurate spin was going to be very effective in taking three for 12 from her four overs, but she was ultimately outbowled by Roshan Dangal and Ashish Shrestha who grabbed six wickets for 13 runs between them as Nepal bowled the International XI all out for 62 to win by 33 runs.
On winning the toss Sri Lanka made early inroads and had the Indian team 44 for three after seven overs. A dramatic counterpunch from Sarfraz Petkar changed momentum completely however, his swashbuckling fifty coming off a hardly believable 20-balls and included six sixes. He was kept company by Vinay Iyer (38* off 28 balls) who led the team to an imposing 172 for seven.
India took that momentum into their bowling and at 35 for five in the sixth over the Sri Lankans looked finished. However Kasun Ganesh made things interesting with a 23-ball 45. It was ultimately in vain as Sabaorish Ravichandran returned three for 26 to bowl the Sri Lanka team all out for 144 which earned the Indian Embassy a win by 28 runs along with a place in Sunday’s Final.
Japan XI vs Pakistan Embassy XI
With a place against the Indian Embassy up for grabs, the Pakistan Embassy took to the field with terrific energy and gave an experimental Japan team a torrid time. Left-arm spinner Samad Khan was the destroyer-in-chief taking a remarkable six wickets for just ten runs in his four-over spell as Pakistan’s bowlers dismissed Japan for just 73.
While the Japan team may be young, they showed incredible character to fight back hard against the Pakistan Embassy side, and at 51 for seven in the 15th over the game could have gone either way. Spinners Makoto Taniyama (two for ten) and Masato Morita (two for 22) gave little away but ultimately the composure of Ibrahim Takahashi, who on another day would be playing for Japan) to stay calm in the run chase and finish 38 not out, having opened the batting and seen wickets fall around him, was enough to win the game by two wickets and claim their place in the showpiece final against the Indian Embassy.
Group B
Australia and New Zealand XI vs Nepal Embassy XI
Choosing to bat first, the ANZAC XI made a flying start as Dhugal Bedingfield (58) and Richie Bracefield (30) put on 52 in five overs for the first wicket. Despite a wobble in the middle order, Reo Sakurano held things together with an excellent 54 not out and a partnership for the eighth wicket of 47 with Ashley Thurgate (25 from 14 balls) which lifted the team to the highest score of the day, 217 for eight.
A total like that always looked beyond the Nepal Embassy team, and although Sandeep Chetri had some fun in making 56 from 24 balls, three wickets for 25 runs from Panasonic Wild Knights Rugby Coach Robbie Deans was enough to restrict them to 159 for eight. A win by 58 runs put the ANZACs into the Group B Final as they aim to win the title for the first time since 2018.
Bangladesh Embassy XI vs International XI
After choosing to bat first the Bangladesh Embassy rode their luck to post an strong 176 for six against an International XI thrown together at short notice following the withdrawal of the British Embassy team. Forties from Ruhul Kabir (42) and Abu Hasnat Alam (43) led the way while several others chipped in.
A defiant 69 from Alex Shirai-Patmore gave the International XI some hope but a lack of support would eventually be their undoing. Asif Limon returned three for 17 with the ball as the Bangladesh Embassy booked a rare appearance in the Group B Final as they kept the score to 128 for nine and earned a win by 48 runs.
Sunday Fixtures:
09:30 SICG One – Group B Final: ANZAC XI vs Bangladesh Embassy XI
09:30 SICG Two – Group B Third Place Play-Off: International XI vs Nepal Embassy XI
13:30 SICG One – Group A Final: India Embassy XI vs Pakistan Embassy XI
13:30 SICG Two – Group A Third Place Play-Off: Japan XI vs Sri Lanka XI
