Japanese cricket team
Encyclopedia
The Japan national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Japan
in international cricket
matches. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council
since 2005, having previously been an affiliate member since 1989. They are currently ranked at equal 37th in the world and at fourth amongst non-test teams in their region.
founded the Yokohama Cricket Club, playing their matches on what eventually became the Yokohama Stadium
. The club, now renamed as the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club, still plays cricket today.
Cricket did not become organised until the 1980s, when the Japan Cricket Association
was formed. They became an affiliate member of the ICC in 1989, and the national team first played in the 1996 ACC Trophy
, losing all their games including a 380 run defeat by Fiji. They continued without success in the 1998 tournament and the 2000 tournament.
After the 2000 ACC Trophy, they left the Asian Cricket Council
and became part of the ICC's East Asia/Pacific region. They played in the East Asia Eights tournament in Australia
in February 2002, finishing as runners up to an Australian indigenous team. Indonesia and South Korea were the other teams in the tournament. In 2004, they hosted the East Asia Pacific Cricket Challenge tournament as part of qualification for the 2007 World Cup
, finishing third after beating Indonesia in a play-off.
In June 2005, Japan were promoted to associate membership of the ICC and that year they played in the 2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup
in Vanuatu
, winning the tournament after beating the Cook Islands in the final. The following year they played in the 2006 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy
in Brisbane
finishing last in the three team tournament that also involved Fiji and the Cook Islands.
In December 2007 Japan took part in the 2007 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy
in Auckland
, New Zealand
, playing against the Cook Islands, Indonesia, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. Japan won the tournament and qualified for Division Five
of the World Cricket League
where they finished in tenth place out of the twelve countries represented in Jersey
.
World Cricket League
. This qualifies for them to compete in the 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven
in Botswana
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches. They have been an associate member of the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
since 2005, having previously been an affiliate member since 1989. They are currently ranked at equal 37th in the world and at fourth amongst non-test teams in their region.
History
Cricket was first played in Japan in 1868 when a group of English merchants living in YokohamaYokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
founded the Yokohama Cricket Club, playing their matches on what eventually became the Yokohama Stadium
Yokohama Stadium
is a stadium in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and holds 30,000 people.It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama BayStars. The stadium is unique, because it features dirt around the bases and pitcher's mound, but with dirt colored turf infield and base...
. The club, now renamed as the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club, still plays cricket today.
Cricket did not become organised until the 1980s, when the Japan Cricket Association
Japan Cricket Association
Japan Cricket Association, a Japanese Non-Profit Organization, is the governing body for cricket in Japan. It was originally formed in 1984 and registered as NPO in 2001....
was formed. They became an affiliate member of the ICC in 1989, and the national team first played in the 1996 ACC Trophy
ACC Trophy
The ACC Trophy or Asian Cricket Council Trophy is a one-day cricket tournament organised by the Asian Cricket Council for the non-test nations in Asia...
, losing all their games including a 380 run defeat by Fiji. They continued without success in the 1998 tournament and the 2000 tournament.
After the 2000 ACC Trophy, they left the Asian Cricket Council
Asian Cricket Council
The Asian Cricket Council is a cricket organization which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. It is the regional administrative body and is sub-ordinate to the International Cricket Council. The Conference became the Asian Cricket Council in 1995 and its...
and became part of the ICC's East Asia/Pacific region. They played in the East Asia Eights tournament in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in February 2002, finishing as runners up to an Australian indigenous team. Indonesia and South Korea were the other teams in the tournament. In 2004, they hosted the East Asia Pacific Cricket Challenge tournament as part of qualification for the 2007 World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
, finishing third after beating Indonesia in a play-off.
In June 2005, Japan were promoted to associate membership of the ICC and that year they played in the 2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup
2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup
The 2005 ICC EAP Cricket Cup was held in Vanuatu between 23–29 September 2005 as part of the qualification for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Six teams from the East Asia-Pacific Region competed in a round-robin stage, followed by ranking finals. Japan defeated the Cook Islands in a close final held...
in Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
, winning the tournament after beating the Cook Islands in the final. The following year they played in the 2006 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy
2006 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy
The 2006 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy was held in Brisbane, Australia from 27 June-2 July 2006, functioning as the East Asia-Pacific regional final for the 2011 Cricket World Cup and EAP qualification tournament for the inaugural ICC World Cricket League, Division 3...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
finishing last in the three team tournament that also involved Fiji and the Cook Islands.
In December 2007 Japan took part in the 2007 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy
2007 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy
The 2007 ICC EAP Cricket Trophy is an international cricket tournament that forms part of the ICC World Cricket League...
in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, playing against the Cook Islands, Indonesia, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. Japan won the tournament and qualified for Division Five
2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five
The 2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five is a cricket tournament that took place between 23 and 31 May 2008 in Jersey. It forms part of the ICC World Cricket League and qualifying for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.-Teams:...
of the World Cricket League
World Cricket League
The ICC World Cricket League is a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status, administered by the International Cricket Council. All associate and affiliate members of the ICC are eligible to compete in the league system, which features a promotion...
where they finished in tenth place out of the twelve countries represented in Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
.
World Cricket LeagueWorld Cricket LeagueThe ICC World Cricket League is a series of international one-day cricket tournaments for national teams without Test status, administered by the International Cricket Council. All associate and affiliate members of the ICC are eligible to compete in the league system, which features a promotion...
- 2008: Division Five2008 ICC World Cricket League Division FiveThe 2008 ICC World Cricket League Division Five is a cricket tournament that took place between 23 and 31 May 2008 in Jersey. It forms part of the ICC World Cricket League and qualifying for the 2011 Cricket World Cup.-Teams:...
Tenth place - 2009: Division Seven2009 ICC World Cricket League Division SevenThe 2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven was a cricket tournament held in May 2009 in Guernsey. The tournament was the first stage of qualification structure for the 2015 World Cup as well as part of the wider ICC World Cricket League...
Fourth place
Upcoming Tournaments
Japan placed fourth in the 2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven
The 2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven was a cricket tournament held in May 2009 in Guernsey. The tournament was the first stage of qualification structure for the 2015 World Cup as well as part of the wider ICC World Cricket League...
. This qualifies for them to compete in the 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven
2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven
The 2011 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven is a cricket tournament took place from 1 to 8 May 2011. It forms part of the ICC World Cricket League and qualifying for the 2015 Cricket World Cup...
in Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
.
Squad
- The following table lists the 16 players in Japans's squad for the 2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven2009 ICC World Cricket League Division SevenThe 2009 ICC World Cricket League Division Seven was a cricket tournament held in May 2009 in Guernsey. The tournament was the first stage of qualification structure for the 2015 World Cup as well as part of the wider ICC World Cricket League...
.
| Japan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Born | Age | Batting Style | Bowling Style |
| Ko Irie |  |
RHB | ||
| Gavin Beath |  |
RHB | RM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| Kenji Murata | |
RHB | LB Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
|
| Masaomi Kobayashi (c Captain (cricket) The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player... ) |
|
RHB | RM Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
|
| Munir Ahmed |  |
RB | LB Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
|
| Naoki Miyaji | |
RHB | RM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| Patrick Giles-Jones |  |
LHB | LMF Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| Naotsune Miyaji | |
RHB | RM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| Tatsuro Chino (wk) | |
RHB | ||
| Cheema Razaq | |
RHB | LFM Seam bowling Seam bowling is a phrase used for a bowling technique in cricket whereby the ball is deliberately bowled on to its seam, to cause a random deviation. Practitioners are known as seam bowlers or seamers.... |
|
| Takuro Hagihara | |
RHB | RM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| Fumihiko Uegaki | |
RHB | ||
| Yuta Matsubara | |
LHB | LFM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| Satoshi Nakano | |
RHB | RM Fast bowling Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the sport of cricket. The other is spin bowling... |
|
| Richard Laidler | ||||
| Inamota Yatishika | |
LHB | LB Leg break A leg break is a type of delivery in the sport of cricket. A delivery of a right-handed leg spin bowler. Leg breaks are also colloquially known as leggies or wrist spinners, as the wrist is the body part which is primarily used to impart spin on the ball, as opposed to the fingers in the case of... |
|
External links
- Japan Cricket Association Official Site - in Japanese