Japan name squad for historic one-off T20I against India

New Delhi, Sep 8 (IANS) Japan have named the same squad that will be playing in the Asian Games for their one-off historic T20I against India on September 22 in Tochigi Prefecture.

Two-time reigning world champions, India, will face Japan for the first time in international cricket to inaugurate celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, Japan’s most prolific run-scorer in T20Is, will be leading the squad as spin-bowling allrounder Jake Kusuda-Nairn earned a maiden call-up despite not having played before.

“The squad is the same as the group picked for their home Asian Games campaign, which begins two days later in Nagoya,” the ICC said in a statement. “As part of their Asian Games preparation, the side have opted not to include players who are eligible to play T20Is under ICC regulations but ineligible under Asian Games rules,” it added.

Apart from their skipper, Ibrahim Takahashi and Declan Suzuki-McComb are the other two players who have played in more than 50 T20Is. Tsuyoshi Takada, who first played for Japan at the ICC East Asia-Pacific Twenty20 Championship in 2013, has also made a return.

The match, dubbed the Suzuki Cup, is scheduled to be played at the Sano International Cricket Ground. The fixture serves as the flagship event launching ‘Sport 75’, a broader bilateral initiative originating from a summit agreement between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi designed to foster sporting exchanges and cooperation.

“The BCCI is delighted to be part of this historic occasion as the Indian and Japanese men’s teams come together for a special T20 International in Japan. This is a significant moment for cricket, as it takes the Indian team to new territory and provides an opportunity to introduce the sport to a wider audience in Japan and East Asia,” Devajit Saikia, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary, said in a statement on Friday.

“India and Japan share a strong and longstanding relationship and friendship, and we are pleased that cricket will be part of the celebrations marking 75 years of bilateral relations between the two countries, and we thank the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) for its efforts in making this fixture possible,” he added.

Japan squad for T20I against India:

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (capt), 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, Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake

–IANS

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