Ahead of historic India encounter, Japan Cricket sets sights on 2028 T20 World Cup

The historic T20I between India and Japan is being held to commemorate the 75th year anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Japan Cricket Association Chief Operating Officer Alan Curr said qualifying for the T20 World Cup in 2028 is the ultimate target for the Japan men’s cricket team.

Japan will face a full-strength Indian team in a historic one-off T20I for the first time at the Sano International Stadium on September 22, before both teams dive into their Asian Games campaigns in Aichi-Nagoya.

The match is being organised to commemorate the 75th year anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations.

“If the qualification pathway in the last cycle was the same as the one in place before, then we would have played in the T20 World Cup 2026. We were the best-placed team in Asia-Pacific region East Asia-Pacific Region at the Asia EMP Final,” Curr said in an interaction faciliated by Fancode.

“So, we believe the goal is achievable, although there is work to be done. Our focus after the Asian Games will shift to the East Asia-Pacific Regional Final, which we can hopefully win and advance to the Global Qualifier Stage,” he added.

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Curr also shed light on the current qualifying structure, stating the tournament needs to expand for it to become a World Cup in a true sense.

“I think different nations being on the global stage bring different colours, different vibrancy, different flavour to a World Cup. So I hope cricket continues to grow, I hope there will be more teams,” Curr said.

Curr described the game against India as a big moment for Japan which presents a golden opportunity to promote cricket in the country.

“The boys are excited and so is the cricketing community here, (proven) by how quickly the tickets were sold out. I think the fact that the Asian Games is right around the corner helps too, because the people here follow it really closely. It’s an ideal time to create awareness about the game, especially by showing people what cricket is really like at the international level and telling them more about the full-member nations that participate,” Curr said.

Curr also spoke about the discussions that led to the match, and the extensive preparation that has gone into making it a world-class experience.

“After we relaid the surface at the Sano International Stadium in March, we sent out invitations to all full-member nations to come play a match of cricket. It was at the ICC conference in early July that we got in contact with the BCCI, which immediately agreed to the offer,” Curr said.

“In terms of our preparation, it is certainly a big undertaking; we have never had something of this scale before. The ground only has a seating capacity of 500, so we have made temporary arrangements to increase the number of seats, added ticketing gates and makeshift player areas, and strengthened security measures, including a Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA). We also have someone coming from England with experience of managing World Cups and The Hundred. I might be the COO, but I have been holistically involved in the preparation. We are a small, tightly staffed team at the JCA, so I have been pulling covers, putting up tents and getting involved in all aspects of the setup,” Curr said.

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Despite recent developments however, cricket in Japan is yet to grow out of its infancy. The sport is nowhere near the popularity levels of a rugby, football or a baseball and the national team players, both on the men’s and women’s side, are amateurs who still work other jobs to sustain their livelihoods.

At present, there are multiple barriers that continue to hamper cricket’s growth in the country, Curr says.

歴史的な日本対インドの二国間T20Iを前に、BCCI会長とインド代表チームに、伝統的なだるまが贈呈されました。
このだるまには、インドと日本の深いつながりが込められています。だるまのルーツは、禅仏教にゆかりのあるインドの僧侶・達磨大師（菩提達磨）にまで遡ります。#japancricket#クリケットpic.twitter.com/vugyYYhvFk

— 一般社団法人 日本クリケット協会｜ JCA Japan Cricket Association (@CricketJapan) September 16, 2026

“I think the main challenge stems from the schooling system, or the Bukatse system as they call it here. Japan. Once you enter junior high school at the age of 12, you choose a sport, and it becomes an integral part of your routine. You practise it almost every day, 365 days a year.” Unfortunately, only a handful of schools offer cricket and interestingly, it’s these schools that have produced most of our cricketers historically,” Curr said.

“Then there is the accessibility part. Now with ICC TV, people can watch international matches with Japanese commentary as well, but watching amateurs play cricket is not like watching a full-member team play. So the awareness is still at a very rudimentary level, and we have a long way to go.

However, Curr does point out that change is coming in thick and fast at the grassroots level.

“When I joined the association 12 years ago, there were only 3000 registered Japanese cricketers. And now, that number has nearly tripled to 8800. In terms of competitions, we have club-level competitions. For example, we have the Japan Cup, a regional T20 competition, and the Japan Cricket League, which has 10 to 12 teams. There is also a 40-over competition with four divisions and 38 teams. The Japan Cricket League, however, is played only in the Tokyo region,” Curr explained.

As Japan prepares to host Shreyas Iyer’s men on Saturday, Curr hopes the occasion will be a step in the right direction and lay the foundation for better things to come.

“When I look at comments under social media posts, people are still surprised that Japan has cricket, this is the perception I want to change. We are trying to reconnect with Japanese-origin youngsters who have settled in countries like Australia, England, and New Zealand, and grown up in a proper cricket ecosystem. There is a word in Japanese called kaizen, which translates to continuous improvement, which is what we are striving for,” Curr said.

For all the anticipation surrounding the fixture, there’s also a serious weather warning threatening to play spoilsport. Typhoon Dujuan, which affected the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, could also disrupt this historic fixture. Curr confirmed that there is no reserve day in the event of a washout.

“We have a game at 9am in Nagoya on the 24th. Nagoya is 500km away from Sano. Our team is actually due to get on a bus after the game against India and travel 7 hours down to Nagoya to play in the Asian Games.The schedule is extremely tight so it’s simply not feasible. Hopefully, the weather will stay clear,” Curr said.

The one-off T20I between India and Japan will be live streamed on Fancode.

Published on Sep 20, 2026

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