Cricket bowls over curious fans as Japan warms up to host Asian Games with minnows event

Curious spectators clutching rule books watched as a batsman smacked a six into the sand and weeds surrounding Japan’s brand-new cricket ground, four months before it hosts matches at the Asian Games. Japanese fans would be familiar with many of the events at the multi-sport Games when they are held in Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, but most are likely to be stumped by cricket. That will not stop them from taking an interest though, and now they have a purpose-built ground to welcome star teams such as India and Pakistan. Korogi Sports Park, a converted baseball field that still has a pitcher’s mound just beyond the boundary, is about a 40-minute train ride from central Nagoya. It is currently warming up for the Asian Games by hosting its first cricket event, the East Asia-Pacific qualifiers for the 2028 men’s T20 World Cup. The qualifiers feature Japan and fellow cricket minnows Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands and South Korea. Local resident Yuya Okimasu, who watched Japan play Vanuatu with his wife and two young children, said that they had heard of cricket only because his daughter watched the Australian cartoon “Bluey”. “I’m looking at the rules as I’m watching the game because I don’t understand it, but it looks fun,” said the 34-year-old, who was attending his first cricket match. Bouncy pitch About 300 people turned up to watch Japan’s opening game on a windy weekend morning, most sitting on deck chairs within earshot of a commentator guiding them through the basics of the game. Temporary stands will be in place at the Asian Games, taking the capacity up to around 2,000. While the continent’s star players may be used to grander surroundings, they are unlikely to be disappointed by the quality of the pitch. That is the responsibility of Asitha Wijayasinghe, who also curates the pitch at the 35,000-capacity Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka. Adam Birss, Korogi Sports Park’s Asian Games operations manager, said the pitch was likely to be “bouncy”, despite typhoon season usually arriving in Japan in September. “I would say that it should act like the pitches in Pakistan, which are bouncy but also take spin,” he said. “It’s got a grippy surface, so if you put spin on the ball, it will spin off.” Korogi Sports Park is part of an ambitious strategy to popularise cricket in baseball-mad Japan, which world governing body the ICC sees as one of its “priority countries”. Playing numbers are on the rise, and the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) has had some success in carving out a tentative foothold for the sport in and around Tokyo. Cricket’s inclusion in the Asian Games was confirmed only in April last year, and the JCA argued unsuccessfully that it should be played in Sano, a hotbed for the sport about 100km (60 miles) outside the capital. ‘Vacuum area’ JCA chief executive officer Naoki Alex Miyaji said Nagoya was “a huge vacuum area for cricket” and he worried that there might not be enough time to drum up interest there. “Creating something here with the Asian Games is an ideal situation, but not when you’re talking with 15 months’ preparation,” he said. Miyaji was also concerned about the long-term future of Korogi Sports Park, which would be shared with baseball teams when the Asian Games were over. The question of who maintained the pitch was another unresolved issue, but Miyaji hoped the venue could be “one of the key ingredients of the growth of cricket in Japan”. The local mayor has been an enthusiastic supporter, and there was certainly interest among those who venture along to watch Japan’s game against Vanuatu. The Japanese players did their bit, beating their opponents by 30 runs. With only four months to go until the Asian Games begin, Japan’s players were hoping the buzz continued. “The ground looks in incredible condition given that they started building it only a few months ago,” said Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming. “Excitement is the overwhelming emotion that we’re feeling about it.”

Cricket bowls over curious fans as Japan warms up to host Asian Games with minnows event

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Japanese sports fans are likely to be stumped by the sport, but a purpose-built ground will now help them welcome star teams India, Pakistan

Japanese sports fans are likely to be stumped by the sport, but a purpose-built ground will now help them welcome star teams India, Pakistan