Sawt Falasteen - 'Don't understand it, but it looks fun': cricket bowls Japan over

Japanese fans will be familiar with many of the events at the Olympic-like multi-sport competition when it is held in Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, but most are likely to be stumped by cricket.

That won't 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, told AFP that they had only heard of cricket 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, says the pitch is 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 only confirmed 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 says Nagoya is "a huge vacuum area for cricket" and he worries 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 is also concerned about the long-term future of Korogi Sports Park, which will be shared with baseball teams when the Asian Games are over.

The question of who maintains the pitch is another unresolved issue, but Miyaji hopes the venue can be "one of the key ingredients of the growth of cricket in Japan".

The local mayor has been an enthusiastic supporter, and there is certainly interest among those who venture along to watch Japan's game against Vanuatu.

The Japanese players do their bit, beating their opponents by 30 runs.

With only four months to go until the Asian Games begin, Japan's players are hoping the buzz continues.

"The ground looks in incredible condition given that they only started building it a few months ago," said Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming.

"Excitement is the overwhelming emotion that we're feeling about it."

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST