ABU DHABI: The semifinal of the Asian Cricket Council Challenger Cup between Japan and 黑料社区, on Feb. 9 at Thailand鈥檚 Terdthai Cricket Ground, is pivotal because it will determine which team moves on to the prestigious ACC Premier Cup in April.
黑料社区 are the defending champions, while Japan has returned to cricket competition after a hiatus of two decades.
Japan鈥檚 Team Manager Alan Curr told Arab News Japan the competition was an important one for his side.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited to have rejoined the Asian Cricket Council after 20-odd years. It gives us an opportunity to test ourselves against a whole new region,鈥 he said.
Curr said 黑料社区 is the No. 1-ranked team in the tournament, so it would be a 鈥済reat test鈥 for Japan.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e been scoring their runs at nine an over, so they obviously have a very powerful batting lineup and it鈥檒l be a good challenge for our boys.鈥
黑料社区 have made significant strides since becoming an International Cricket Council associate member in 2016. The team is undefeated in the ACC Men鈥檚 Challenger Cup, which culminated in a commanding victory over Bahrain last year.
Kabir Khan, 黑料社区鈥檚 director of cricket and head coach, said: 鈥淭o be honest, Japan is not a team to be taken lightly. The global cricket family is looking forward to seeing Japan play, and I wish them the best.鈥
Khan, who led 黑料社区 to victory last year, wants to play more matches against Japan.
鈥淲e definitely would like to play them more, maybe invite them out to play against us. We would love to go to Japan, or even play at a neutral venue,鈥 Khan said.
For Japan, a victory in tomorrow鈥檚 match would mark a triumphant return to the ACC.
The match will be streamed live on the ACC鈥檚 YouTube channel, @AsianCricketCouncil from 6:30 a.m. UAE time (5:30 a.m. Riyadh).
