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Japan vs Afghanistan Match 1 Full Commentary
Result · Sep 24 2026, Thu - 05:30 AM (IST)
Match 1, - Korogi Sports Park
JPN 81/10 (19.3)
AFG 129/6 (20.0)
Afghanistan beat Japan by 48 runs
CRR:4.15
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Welcome back for the second essay. The two umpires make their way out to the middle, as do the players of Afghanistan. Reo Sakurano-Thomas and Lachlan Yamamoto-Lake are the two Japanese openers. Abdollah Ahmadzai will steam in first up. Lachlan to face the first ball. Two slips await. Let's play...
... The Run Chase ...
Disciplined Japanese bowling - Japan’s bowling attack will be well pleased with their disciplined execution on this helpful surface. Ibrahim Takahashi was the pick of the bowlers, striking at crucial moments to finish with a couple of wickets. Shoma Sugaya-Slater also picked up two in the last over of the innings. They received excellent support from Reo Sakurano-Thomas and Benjamin Ito-Davis, who picked up one wicket apiece to keep the pressure on and prevent the Afghan lower-order from completely breaking free in the death overs.
Middle-order resurgence - With the spinners extracting considerable turn and making life difficult for the batters, Afghanistan's middle order showed immense grit. Karim, Darwish, and Ishaq all played vital, measured hands to resurrect the innings. Their collective effort pushed the visitors to 129 for 6, translating a precarious start into a fighting total on a surface where stroke-making has been anything but easy.
Afghan batters fight back after early stumbles - Afghanistan endured a shaky start after being asked to bat first, crawling to 17 for 1 within the first 4 overs. While the opening phase looked precarious on a challenging deck where the ball gripped, they managed to recover slightly and end the Powerplay at 39 for 1. Akram looked composed and kept the scoreboard ticking with fluent scoring, but his partner, Hassan Eisakhil, struggled to find fluency against the disciplined bowling before eventually perishing.
OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! A wicket to end the innings. Afghanistan finish on 129/6. Another off-pace ball, on a good length, on middle. Ismat has a heave across the line, but a top edge is found. It goes up behind the wicket, where the keeper, Shirai-Patmore, calls for it and makes no mistake, taking the catch close to his chest before falling on his back.
Slanting in on a back of a length, on middle. Ishaq mistimes the slog to deep mid-wicket for a single.
DROPPED! Benjamin Ito-Davis shells it. Off-cutter, fuller and on off. Alam does not pick the change of pace and swings early in his bid to go down the ground. Skies it towards long on, where Benjamin runs in off the ropes and tries to take the catch close to his chest, but it bursts through his grasp. A single taken.
Angles in a short ball at the right shoulder of the batter. Alam goes for the pull. He gets top edge before the ball sails over the keeper's head for a couple of runs.
Wide! Full and moving away in the air but this is too wide. That is left alone for the keeper to collect.
Wide! Beyond the tramline on off, on a back of a length. Alam lets it be.
OUT! CAUGHT! A fine catch by Wataru Miyauchi. Pitched up, around off. Rasooli puts his head down and swings hard but loses his shape and slices it off the outer half. Miyauchi runs in off the ropes, bends and takes a safe catch. Ismat Alam is the new batter.
Hits the good length, on off. Ishaq has a swing at it but mistimes it down to long on for a single.
Wide. Harsh call. That seemed to be within the guideline, on a length. Ishaq lets it go.
Keeps it short but this is wider on off. Ishaq carves it to deep cover for one. Another good over for Afghanistan, 13 runs off the over. 37 runs off the last 3 overs.
Short and on off, that is punched off the back foot, but straight to cover.
SIX! Clean strike. Fires it in full, on middle and leg. It is right in the hitting arc. Ishaq clears the front leg and smokes it over long on for half a dozen.
In the air...but safe. Darted in on a length, on middle and leg. Ishaq goes for the slog sweep but does not quite get hold of it. It lands safely right between the two men converging in the deep mid-wicket region. Two taken.
Slower through the air, fuller and around off. Ishaq reaches across for the sweep but is beaten due to the turn.
FOUR! Hammered away. Fractionally short, on off. Ishaq rocks on the back foot in a flash and rides the bounce to spank it wide of cover. The fielder in the deep sprints and dives to his right but in vain.
Can Afghanistan get past 135?
Very full, on off. Rasooli digs it out back to the bowler. 14 runs off the over, 24 off the last 2.
FOUR! In the gap! Pace off and into the wicket. Rasooli pivots on the back foot and gets on top of the bounce. Pulls it right between deep square leg and deep mid-wicket for another boundary.
FOUR! Untidy in the field. Bowled on a length, on off. Rasooli has a swing at the ball. Slices it off the outer half towards deep cover, where the fielder fails to read the spin and overruns the ball. He slips as well and cannot recover to prevent the boundary.
On off, another slower one, on a length. Ishaq pushes it wide of point for one. The 100 is up for Afghanistan.
Nearly went to hand! Back-of-the-hand slower one, on a good length, on middle. Rasooli does not pick the change of pace and just pushes at the ball. Chips it back towards the bowler but it sails past the outstretched right hand of the bowler. They cross.
FOUR! Nicely done. Full and angled in at the sicks. Rasooli brings his bottom hand into play and whips it between long on and deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Fuller and slower, on off. Ishaq brings out the reverse again, playing it wide to the right of the short third fielder for a couple of runs. A good over for Afghanistan, 10 runs off it.
FOUR! Not convincing, but Mohammad Ishaq will take it. Tossed up, on a good length, on off. Ishaq reaches out in front for the reverse, but the ball kicks up a bit to brush the glove and it races down to the deep third fence.
Since the ball has hit the helmet of Ishaq, a mandatory concussion check will be done in the middle on him.
More action to come - Right, Group A is up and running at the 2026 Asian Games, with Afghanistan getting on the board. It is a quick turnaround for them, as they face Nepal on Friday, 25 September, while Japan will take on Nepal next on Saturday, 26 September. There is one more game coming up today, with Hong Kong, China taking on Malaysia in a Group B clash. The first ball is set to be bowled at 5 am GMT. We look forward to having your company then. Cheers!
If it seams, it spins - That was certainly the case early on, as the new ball moved around off the deck while the surface also offered plenty of turn. The odd ball kept low as well, making for challenging conditions for Afghanistan, who were asked to bat first. Japan kept the scoring in check through the middle phase, but the final 4 overs went for 45 runs. Darwis Rasooli and Mohammad Ishaq provided the lift Afghanistan's innings so desperately needed and helped them reach 129.
Gul spins Japan out - Even though it was a second-string attack, there was enough quality in the Afghan ranks to test a side like Japan, particularly on a wicket that offered help to both pacers and spinners. Up front, it was the Afghan new-ball attack that troubled the Japanese batters with pace, to which the home side did fight fire with fire. But the real challenge was always going to come against the spinners, and once they took over, Japan found it difficult to keep the scoreboard moving and were eventually spun into submission. 8 wickets fell to spin, with leg-spinner Arab Gul being the pick of the bowlers on debut. He finished with 4 wickets, including two double-wicket maidens.
Afghanistan off to a winning start - Silver medallists from the previous edition, Afghanistan have begun their bid to go one better this time around with a win. They had to fight their way to a competitive total with the bat, but the quality of their bowling attack was on full display. Japan struggled to put up much of a fight with the bat. They showed promise with the ball, much like they did recently against India, but Afghanistan pulled away from them with the bat in the final four overs to make the chase more challenging.
OUT! TIMBER! Afghanistan win by 48 runs. Under-cutter, on middle and off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater goes down on one knee and looks for a slog sweep but misses, and the ball goes on and smashes into the timber.
Quicker one, around off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater dabs this to the third man region for a brace.
Pushed through around off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater defends it out.
Nangeyalia Kharote to bowl the final over of the innings.
Way too full, on middle and off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater squeezes it out to the right of the bowler and takes one as the ball rolls to mid on.
Yorker, around off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater looks for a reverse lap but misses out.
Back of a length, on off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater stabs it down.
On a length, around off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater carves this to point.
Good length, on middle and off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater jams it out.
Yorker, on off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater digs it out.
Karim Janat is back.
Back of a length, around off, Shoma Sugaya-Slater drags this down to long on for one run.
Good length, on middle and off, Makoto Taniyama looks to flick it away but gets a top edge that flies down to the third man region for a single.
Full and around off, Makoto Taniyama pushes this past the left of the bowler for a dot.
Back of a length, around leg, Shoma Sugaya-Slater flat bats this to the right of the bowler. Single taken.
Slower one, on the pads, Shoma Sugaya-Slater keeps it out.
Faridoon Dawoodzai is yet to get on the wickets column, and the left-arm seamer will dearly love to end the innings with a wicket to his name.
Full and on middle and leg, Makoto Taniyama pushes this down to long on for a single.
On a length, around middle and leg, Shoma Sugaya-Slater backs away and looks to hit this down the ground but misses out. The ball somehow bounces over the leg stump.
Shoma Sugaya-Slater is the last man in.
OUT! CASTLED! The yorker has done the trick for Abdollah Ahmadzai. Yorker, on off, Wataru Miyauchi exposes his stumps by moving away to his leg and looks to slice this through point, but the ball sneaks under the blade and rattles the timber.
Good length, on middle and off, Wataru Miyauchi punches this down to long off for two runs.
Back of a length, around off, Wataru Miyauchi looks for a square cut but fails to connect.
Full and around off, Wataru Miyauchi drives this to extra cover.
Back of a length, wide of off, Wataru Miyauchi backs away and swings at it but misses out.
Pace is back on through Abdollah Ahmadzai.