Japan is hoping that the historic India T20I can boost the popularity of cricket in the country

Japan Cricket Association (JCA) chief operating officer Alan Curr hopes India’s historic T20I against Japan can help bring cricket to a wider audience in a country where the sport is still largely unknown to local fans.

ICC Men’s T20 World Champions India will face Japan in their first ever T20I on Tuesday at the Sano International Cricket Ground. The match will be broadcast live on FanCode.

“The guys are excited. We don’t get an opportunity like this very often,” Curr was quoted as saying by PTI on Sunday.

For Japan, the match is about more than just a showdown with one of the world’s leading cricket teams. The JCA hopes that the visit to India can open the door to another international team playing in the country.

“We’re trying to embrace all of that as part of the steps we’re taking to do that,” Curr said.

The match has already attracted the attention of the Japanese media, which Curr sees as an important first step. “In terms of the mainstream in Japan, it’s certainly generating interest. It’s easy to say that the reigning world champions will come to Japan to play against our team. But we still have a long way to go,” he said.

PREPARATION FOR INDIA

The JCA had to make significant changes to the Sano pitch, which normally has permanent seating for around 500 spectators.

Temporary stands, VIP areas and entrance gates were added and security measures were also strengthened. The association brought in a security consultant from England who has worked on World Cups, The Hundred and events involving India.

“We take it all very seriously and I think it’s really important that we show that we have the capacity to handle something like this,” Curr said.

Another problem is the weather, as a typhoon is currently threatening parts of Japan.

“Right now it’s going to be a success to launch the game. I’m not going to lie, there’s a huge typhoon in southern Japan right now, so that’s a problem,” Curr said.

Still, Curr believes India’s visit has already given Japanese cricket a boost.

“I think a lot of success has almost happened. The fact that India has agreed to come, the fact that I’m sitting here talking to you, the fact that a lot of Japanese media will be coming tomorrow to learn more about this game and this sport – I think the success is already here,” he said.

INDIA VISIT YEARS IN THE MAKING

India’s visit is the result of a prolonged effort by the JCA to improve its facilities and attract top cricketing nations to Sano. The association resurfaced the pitch in March from the same clay used for facilities for the Asian Games in Nagoya.

Curr said the plan was to create a venue that could host international teams and also serve as a training base for sides visiting Japan. “We were quite excited to try to host the Asian Games here, but unfortunately it was not possible. So finding reasons to attract regular members to come here became important,” he said.

“As soon as we laid the pitch in March this year, we started preparing a proposal that we will send out to all full members. The proposal eventually made its way to the BCCI, with Curr saying that after the board received it, discussions quickly took off.

THE CRICKET GROWS SLOWLY

Japan’s registered player base has grown considerably over the past decade. Curr said the number has grown from about 3,000 when he joined the JCA in 2014 to about 8,800 now.

The Japan Cup, the country’s regional T20 competition, has grown to over 80 teams, while the Japan Cricket League has four divisions and over 30 teams.

However, cricket has become a mainstream sport in Japan.

“Cricket is not on the national sports scene right now. It’s more of a curiosity than something that most Japanese sports fans follow and watch passionately. We’re trying to change that,” Curr said.

One of the biggest challenges is getting cricket into schools. Sport has limited representation in Japan’s established school sports system.

“Cricket is not really on offer at the moment. We have a few schools that offer cricket and until we can get cricket into this system it will be difficult,” he said.

ASIAN GAMES BOOST

Curr believes the Asian Games can also help cricket find a bigger audience in Japan. “The Asian Games are so ingrained in the Japanese sports psyche. People understand exactly what the Asian Games are, just like they understand the Olympics.”

“So cricket being part of these sporting events gives the sport a legitimacy it didn’t have before. It makes it more visible,” he said.

So for Japan, Tuesday’s game is not just about the result. The JCA wants to use this opportunity to introduce the sport to more people and show what Japanese cricket has built up over the years.

“We want to show that cricket is a sport that is played hard but is also accessible and friendly to get involved in. We want cricket to be fun,” said Curr.

“It would be a great achievement if we didn’t have to see comments like this about how shocked people are that Japan is even playing cricket because we have been playing cricket for a very long time.

“There’s been an awful lot going on in the background of Japanese cricket for many, many years and it’s great now that we’re above sea level, I think, and we’re actually visible to a few people. We hope that continues.”

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

20 Sep 2026 16:16 IST