Vanuatu beat Japan for the first time in their history at the Sano International Cricket Ground today.

Set only 62 to win, they chased down the small target for the loss of six wickets, inside 15 overs in their second match of the ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier – East Asia-Pacific.

A fine all-round performance, including a magnificent straight six to win the match, by young spinner Nasimana Navaika (4-15 and 15*) led Vanuatu to victory.

Earlier, Japan got off to the worst start as Shizuka Miyaji was run out without facing from the very first ball of the match.

Captain Kurumi Ota (13) looked to be in good touch with a couple of lovely strokes to the boundary. She could not kick on and when she was caught at cover in the seventh over the Japanese batting collapsed,  going from 28-1 to 38-6 in the space of four overs.

Defending that total was always going to be a tough ask.

Vanuatu lost one early wicket but dropped chances early on made it difficult for Japan to put any serious pressure on the Vanuatu batters and they were cruising to victory at 41-1 after just seven overs.

However, it was a case of what might have been for the Japan players Vanuatu fell to 44 for 4. Shizuka Miyaji (1-7) was rewarded for her fine bowling and got the breakthrough wicket and in the very next over Kanae Ishimoto (3-19) picked up two wickets.

Kurumi Ota (1-9) also picked up a wicket towards the end but player of the match Navaika finished the match in style.

After the defeat, coach Katrina Keenan said: “The result was disappointing. We lost wickets and momentum after a good start with the bat. An extra 10-15 runs might have made a difference as the winning totals have not been that high in the tournament.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s match with Papua New Guinea, Keenan said: “PNG look very strong, well balanced but with pressure any team is vulnerable and we saw that today.”

In the earlier game of the day Samoa defeated Papua New Guinea by 16 runs to go top of the table after two wins from two. Thanks to some late hitting, Samoa posted 99-5 from their twenty overs. Papua New Guinea could not chase it down and were bowled out for 83.

The final matches from the first half of the tournament take place tomorrow with Japan playing Papua New Guinea from 1.30pm.

Samoa cruised to a ten-wicket victory over Japan in the first match of the ICC Women’s World T20 Qualifier – East Asia Pacific.

Hosts Japan posted a low score of 70-8 from their 20 overs and Samoa chased down the target inside 13 overs and without losing a wicket.

Earlier Samoa had won the toss and elected to field first. They looked to use the early morning swing to put Japan under immediate pressure.

Japan got off to a steady start and were 18-0 after three overs, but the game changed when they lost captain Kurumi Ota (1) as she was run out backing up.

Shizuka Miyaji (27*) batted throughout the innings but struggled to build a partnership of any significance as regular wickets fell with Matile Uliao (2-5), the pick of the Samoan bowlers, frustrating the Japanese.

In reply, Samoa were assured in their approach of the run chase.

Japan started with an attacking field and a slip in place. But it was to no avail. Apart from a half chance of a catch Samoa did not give a sniff.

Shizuka Miyaji (0-13) bowled well from her four overs but openers Via Andrew (30*) and Player of the Match Lagi Telea (25*) batted sensibly and made light work of the target.

Japan need to make vast improvements ahead of their next match against Vanuatu at 1.30pm tomorrow.

After the match, coach Katrina Keenan said: “It was a disappointing batting performance, but we’ve identified some areas to work on and I would expect to see some improvements over the course of the tournament.”

In the day’s other match, Papua New Guinea defeated Vanuatu by 9 wickets. Vanuatu posted a score of 80 all out from 19.5 overs and Papua New Guinea chased it down with nine overs to spare.

The JCA are happy to announce that Kurumi Ota has been appointed as captain for the forthcoming Women’s World T20 Qualifier due to begin in Sano next week.

Assisting Kurumi will be Mai Yanagida, who has been appointed as vice captain for the tournament. The captain and vice captain will lead the team until the completion of the tournament.

Newly appointed captain, Kurumi has high hopes for the young team she will be leading saying, “We have a very young team that may lack experience, but the young players are showing great potential. We will be playing against the best teams in the region, so I think the key to our success is whether we can allow our young players to express themselves.”

She also called for support for the team by saying “We will bring all our strengths together as a team and aim to win each match at a time. We greatly appreciate the kind support we continue to receive and  would like to ask the cricket community in Japan, our friends and family to come and support us again.”

Kurumi Ota

Vice captain Mai Yanagida said, “I’d like to support the captain and ensure team spirits are high so that we can play to our strengths. Playing at home is a great opportunity for people to show support. I’m sure the players will perform beyond their best with a strong home crowd.”

Mai Yanagida

The Japan Cricket Association are offering everyone who attends the Women’s World T20 Qualifier in Sano the chance to win the latest iPad, released in Japan on March 25th this year.

The tournament will run from Friday April 28th – Thursday May 4th and in order to be in with a chance of winning the prize all you have to do is register in advance through the JCA website and then bring your ticket with you to the match. There are six match days, so if you attend all six then you will go into the draw six times!

To enter just click on the following link: https://cricket.or.jp/jca/2017wwt20sano/

The deadline for entering the prize draw is Thursday 20th April, and those requesting paper tickets should receive them the following week before the first match.

The winner will be drawn after the final match on Thursday 4th May, although this may take place on Friday 5th of May if the reserve day is required because of bad weather. If the winner is not at the ground on the day then the name will be announced on our website at the conclusion of the tournament and the prize sent in the post.

If you miss the chance to enter the prize draw we still encourage you to come to the ground, support Japan an enjoy the cricket! Good Luck!