Japan announce squad for one-off T20I against India

TOKYO: Japan have announced their squad for the historic one-off T20I against India, with the same group of players set to represent the country in the men's cricket competition at the Asian Games in Nagoya later this month.

The match will be played on September 22 at the Sano International Cricket Ground and will form part of Japan's preparations for the Asian Games, which begin in late September.

Japan have opted against selecting players who are eligible to play T20Is under International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations but do not meet the eligibility requirements for the Asian Games.

"As part of their Asian Games preparation, Japan have opted not to include players who are eligible to play T20Is under ICC regulations but ineligible under Asian Games rules," the ICC said in a statement.

Twenty-one-year-old spin-bowling all-rounder Jake Kusuda-Nairn has earned his first call-up despite never having represented Japan at international level.

Tsuyoshi Takada, meanwhile, has been recalled to the squad after previously playing three T20Is for Japan in 2023.

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming will continue to captain the side. The leading batter in Japan's T20I history has scored 1,871 runs from 54 innings.

Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb will provide further experience to the squad, having played 56 and 54 T20Is respectively.

The fixture against T20I world champions India will be played for the Suzuki Cup and will mark the first meeting between the two sides in international cricket.

The historic encounter will also launch celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Japan.

The match is the first step in "Sport 75", an initiative stemming from an agreement reached during a meeting between the leaders of the two countries.

The initiative also aims to strengthen sporting cooperation between India and Japan, with a particular focus on India's ambition to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2036.

Japan squad for one-off men's T20I against India

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Charlie Hara-Hinze, Benjamin Ito-Davis, Alester Kadowaki-Fleming, Kohei Kubota, Jake Kusuda-Nairn, Wataru Miyauchi (wk), Reo Sakurano-Thomas, Alex Shirai-Patmore (wk), Shoma Sugaya-Slater, Declan Suzuki-McComb, Tsuyoshi Takada, Ibrahim Takahashi, Makoto Taniyama amd Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake.