The Women’s Japan National Team fell to a 41-run loss against old adversaries Hong Kong in the Quarter Final of the ACC Premier Cup in Malaysia.
In the 12th meeting between the two teams since October 2022, Japan won the toss and opted to bowl first but were blighted by a number of missed opportunities throughout the innings.
The match was defined by a 36-ball 55* by Yasmin Daswani, who took the game away from in a thunderous 51-run partnership from just 27 deliveries with Marina Lamplough (21 from 13).
Wickets off the last two balls meant Hong Kong ended their innings 140 for five from their 20 overs and had all the momentum going into the second innings.
That continued when Iqra Sahar struck in the first over, and when starlet Ayaka Kato-Stafford was dismissed for her first low score of the tournament, Hong Kong were right on top.
Haruna Iwasaki rallied at the top, striking 26 from 20 deliveries, and received some support from the middle order as Japan made it to 90 for four in the 15th over with senior players Erika Oda (24) and Mai Yanagida (19) at the crease.
Thing unravelled quickly from that point, as Hong Kong took the last six Japan wickets for just nine runs to wrap up a comfortable victory and book their place at the Asia Cup.
Japan now turn their attention to the Asian Games in September, but would like to thank all the support from within Japan and around the world during this campaign.
