The Japan Cricket Podcast

We're a little late to the party here, but at least we've got back in the end! Plenty for Alan and Todd to look back on since the Women's Japan Premier League culminated in a terrific finish at the end of May before the Women's Japan National Team jetted off to the ACC Premier Cup in Malaysia.Not only that, but the Women's Japan Under 19 team are about to take the the field for the very first time this weekend, so that gets a mention as well.

Todd's Back! As much as we loved having Daniel Beswick with us, all now feels right with the world as Mr Luckhurst returns to join Alan in discussing the JPL, the men's EAP and a little of the Women's JPL as well. There's tales from behind the scenes and a nice new background for those watching the videos.

With Todd winging his way back to Australia following his stint in Japan, Alan once again collaborates with Daniel Beswick of Emerging Cricket fame to run the rule over the EAP World Cup Sub Regional Qualifier so far. Don't worry, normal service will resume soon.

Alan & Todd join forces with the voice of the EAP region, Daniel Beswick to talk all things Japan Cricket in 2026 with a bit of a focus on the Japan Premier League.

It's a new season! Did the old season end? Who knows, but as we finished off season five talking about the JPL star signings we may as well begin season six by talking about the draft. Alan and Todd go in depth to each squad, talk about how the draft ran, who got what right (and wrong?) and what the competition has in store this year. A comprehensive guide indeed.

Alan and Todd are finally wrapping up season 5 of the Japan Cricket Podcast with a review of February's Quad Series against Bahrain, Bhutan and hosts Thailand which ended in a dramatic finale complete with Super Over. They also discuss the recently announced Japan Premier League Star Players and what that means for the competition ahead of the Draft on Tuesday 24th March. There's a few other bits and pieces too, but you'll have to listen to find out what they are!

Alan and Todd are back to break down a momentous end to Japan's Under 19 World Cup campaign. Games against Australia and Ireland before the headline win over Tanzania. And we've got our proper thumbnail back!

An incredible day at the Under 19 World Cup as Hugo Tani-Kelly became the first Japanese player to record a century.Alan & Todd talk about the day, as well as recap the warm up match against the West Indies. There's been plenty of technical difficulties so our apologies that the last episode only went out on YouTube and not the other platforms (not sure what happened there), but it is out now so this will go up a day later than we intended.

The team has arrived in Namibia for the Under 19 World Cup! Alan talks through some of the adventures had on the way to Africa and talks a bit about what life is like in Windhoek.

The Japan Under 19 team team got their World Cup preparations underway with a visit to the UAE for the ACC Premier Cup. Alan and Todd run through the results and stand out performers before running through the final 15 players selected to represent Japan in Namibia next month.

The domestic season in Japan is (almost) over with the major trophies all lifted. Alan and Todd discuss a stellar season for the Chiba Sharks as well as Todd's experience managing a domestic tournament in Japan. The Embassy Cup, in all it's soggy glory, gets a look while Alan's headaches at the hands of the ACC are a theme that rears its head again in the lead up to the Under 19 Premier Cup.

Alan & Todd are not only podding from the same room, they're joined by special guest Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, fresh from captaining Japan at the recent World Cup Qualifier in Oman. The boys hear Kendel's thoughts about the venue, the performances and what the future holds.

Alan & Todd give a quick recap of the first official Super Six match under the lights in Oman. A win for Japan makes the boys the unofficial EAP Champions, but it did not come easy against a spirited Samoa side.

So Japan knocked Kuwait out of the World Cup Qualifier and are heading into the Super Sixes! Alan and Todd are back to discuss a famous night for the Japan Men's Team, plus what it was like to come up against Nepal in front of an excitable crowd. There's also a bit of flag-based trivia thrown in for good measure.

Todd goes solo with a quick review of the Japan vs UAE match as part of the warm up preparation for the T20 World Cup Qualifier.

Alan and Todd have a quick catch up on what Alan and the team have been up to in Muscat, and review the 1st warm up match against Samoa. Did Makoto Taniyama really knock over Ross Taylor? Yes he did.

Alan and Todd are back and finally have some actual cricket to talk about! The Women's National Team have completed their World Cup Qualifying tournament in Fiji, while the Men are two weeks from departure to Oman. On top of that the JCL T20 was decided while the Japan Cricket League 40-over competition is really hotting up.

Alan & Todd are back to keep the Japan Cricket Community updated on what's been going on in the Japan Cricket Scene. The men have returned from Sri Lanka, while the women have some exciting new tournaments to aspire to. There's also chat about various cricket stories from around the globe, particularly the national player contracting news coming out of Brazil.

Alan & Todd look forward to the upcoming tours to Sri Lanka for the Japan Men Team, and Fiji for the Japan Women. The Olympics and Asian Games are also on the agenda, along with the hot weather in Sano and other sporting events around the globe.

Alan & Todd discuss the Japan Under 16s recent participation in the ACC East Zone Cup in Malaysia before looking at what's been happening closer to home. The JCL T10, JCL T20 and Division One of the JCL itself all get reviewed before a look around the world, including the divisive declaration from Wiaan Mulder.

Alan is joined by a new co-host! Together they discuss almost everything that happened during April, May and June at the Sano International Cricket Ground.

The Japan Cricket Podcast is back once again, will this be another false dawn or is this return for real? Let's wait and see shall we...

After a bit of a hiatus, the pod is BACK! In this episode, we talk to Jake Kusuda-Nairn, who has temporarily moved to Japan this year to develop his cricket while helping out part-time at the JCA. We also chatted to Jake about his early life in Japan/Australia, how he has found the move to Japan, how his cricket has gone this season, and much more! Lastly, I talk about how this year's standings are shaping up in all our domestic leagues from the JCL T20 to the Junior U15 and U19 leagues.

On this episode of the Japan Cricket Podcast, some special guests join me to cover the very busy month of exciting tournaments that concluded at the Sano International Cricket Ground. Some topics include: - Josh Brown's explosive batting in the Japan Premier League (literally breaking windows) - New debutants and milestones in the Japan Vs Mongolia Series (Tani #50) - The Western Eagles getting revenge on the Eastern Waves - Nikhil Pol making the Futures League look easy

The Pod is back! No more lengthy breaks in 2024 as the host mic is ceremonially handed over…you’ll have to listen to find out who is now in the hot seat. Men’s and Women’s international tournaments, a World Record, Futures League, JPL, WJPL, and Mongolia are all discussed, along with some early performances in the JCL and the first trophy winners of 2024…who were also the last trophy winners of 2023

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming and Dhugal Bedingfield talk about the World Cup qualifier as a whole, and the future of Japan Cricket.

By popular demand, Ibby and Sabaorish join me on the podcast, recorded around two hours before the final game at the EAP Regional Final in Papua New Guinea.

Live from Amini Park before the clash with the Philippines I get two roommates to tell us about their PNG experience so far.

Scenic podcast alert! Coming direct from Loloata Island as the team enjoy a rest day, we here a bit about that but more about how two of the top performers at the Regional Final have performed so far.

Day Two in PNG and on the eve of Match One I have Reo Sakurano-Thomas to tell us how the team has trained, but not before the great Makoto Taniyama tells us a bit about how he became a leg spinner.

A short chat while at the gate with one of the players returning to the Japan Team, Muneeb Mian about his preparation for the World Cup Qualifier and what he’s excited about, as well as the feeling in the squad.

A quick chat with two of the Women's Japan National Squad members, Ahilya Chandel made her debut in 2022 while Elena Kusuda-Nairn played for the first time earlier this year. Both have joined a number of players flying into Japan from across the world to take part in the inaugural Women's Japan Premier League (WJPL). We discuss the tournament happening this weekend as well as their upbringings and family background and the impact that being involved with Japan Cricket is having on them.

It's a case of back to the future on this episode as I am joined by former Japan Under 19 captain Marcus Thurgate, and current captain Koji Hardgrave-Abe to talk about the recent World Cup Qualifier in Darwin. Marcys relives some of his experiences and compares them to what we witnessed in the early part of June, while Koji gives us the inside view of how things came together. At the end of the pod I do a quick two minutes on the format, more specifically why New Zealand were taking part.

Jenny Thompson is the envy of most cricket fans right now, as she travels the globe playing cricket in as many countries as she can possibly get to. She visited in Japan in late April and took in the surroundings of Sano and the SICG, as well as travelled to Nagasawa to play a match in the Japan Women's Cricket League. On this episode I catch up with Jenny a couple of months after her visit to Japan, find out where she is now, why she's on this mission and what she is learning along the way. Jenny and I go back a long way and there's a shameless plug for my book in here too! If you'd like to follow Jenny on Her World Cricket Tour then check out her Instagram and Facebook accounts. Apologies for the audio quality on this, my old laptop exploded recently (seriously, it actually exploded) and I've lost all my editing software so this is raw, unedited and slightly echoey. Hopefully you can make it all the way through and don't mind me telling staff halfway through to stop rustling so much!

The sakura is out and the new cricket season is almost upon us! The Japan Cricket League will kick things off this Saturday and I am joined by Commuhnity Cricket Manager and regular guest on the show Dhugal Bedingfield to make a few wild predictions which will inevitably be horribly wide of the mark. We'll also chat briefly about Dhugal's other role as Head Coach of the Men's Japan National Squad and the busy nature of the year ahead for them. Feel free to follow the show on Instgram as well as the Japan Cricket Assoication on all of our platforms, but especially YouTube where you can watch plenty of the action throughout the season.

Welcome to the final episode of Season Two! On this extended episode I wrap up the season, going back to competitions that finished as long ago as August such is how far behind I've got!  To go through everything I am joined by three of the Japan Cricket Associations finest in Dhugal Bedingfield, Deano Ruhode and Reo Sakurano-Thomas. The boys give their thoughts on an array of competitions, fail miserably to pick a Team of the Year and then go head-to-head in a highly competitive quiz that may or may not have been scored correctly... For those who like to skip through, here are the timings:  East Asia Cup (until around 14mins)  Japan Junior Leagues (until around 28mins)  Japan Cup Finals (until around 38mins)  JCL T20 Finals (until around 43mins) JCL (until around 54mins) JCL Team of the Year (until around 62mins) Quiz Thanks as always to BRB Munde for the backing music, and to everyone who has listened this year. See you again in 2023!

Welcome to groundsman extraordinaire, Todd Luckhurst! In a quick chat in the stands at the SICG during the Men’s East Asia Qualifier back in October. It’s a short episode and I apologise for the sound quality, first show recorded by phone….probably not a long term strategy.

It started with Japan Men's first ever T20 International, was followed by a series win, and ended with a first ICC tournament trophy in our hands in fifteen years! So naturally I was pretty excited to get Dhugal Bedingfield back on the pod to talk firstly about the three-match bilateral series against Indonesia, and then dissect the 2024 ICC World T20 East Asia Pacific Sub Regional Qualifier B win. We have 11 debuts to talk about, a first ever T20 century for Japan, a five-wicket haul on debut and much else besides. We were so excited we waffled on a bit longer than we intended, but hopefully you'll all enjoy it.  Special thanks as always to (birthday boy) BRB Munde for the backing music, and of course to everyone who came out to support the team in person, and those who sent their best wishes from afar. 

INTERNATIONAL CRICKET IS BACK IN JAPAN! We have only waited three and a half years for international cricket to resume in Japan, and almost four years for our men to take the field, so please forgive the excitement!   In the first of a series of short, unedited episodes over the coming weeks, I chat with the Japan Men's Team Head Coach about selecting a squad for the first time in so long and then the upcoming international series with Indonesia which starts on October 9th, followed by the T20 World Cup Qualifier being held in Sano from October 15-18. There's even a throwback to the series one jingles... If you don't already then now really is the time to follow, subscribe or whatever it is that you do on the Japan Social Media pages, here they are:   www.twitter.com/CricketJapan  www.facebook.com/cricketjapan  www.instagram.com/japan_cricket  www.youtube.com/JapanCricket  There is also plenty of information on www.cricket.or.jp including post match reports plus schedules, announcements etc. 

My next guess is the new kid on the Japan Cricket scene. Born in Toyama but raised predominantly in New Zealand, Reo Sakurano-Thomas has been instrumental in the success Sano Cricket Club is enjoying this year, while he is also taking the game to the local community as part of his role with the Japan Cricket Association.  We discuss all that, as well as the challenges around relocating to New Zealand as a five-year-old with no English, and then doing the reverse trip as a 22-year-old. He tells me all about his first impressions of cricket in Japan, both the club scene as well as his early training sessions with the Japan National Squad as well as his ambitions for both club and country.  Before I speak to Reo I cover a fair bit in the domestic round up, wrapping the Japan Cup Regional Qualifiers as well as giving an update on the Japan Cricket League Divisions One, Two and Three. I cast my eye over the Under 19 and Under 15 leagues as well as the University Championships which concluded a short while ago.  As ever thanks to BRB Munde for the tunes, and to everyone for tuning in. You can find the show on Instagram if you'd like to contact me, and you can leave a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. 

After a bit of a break the Japan Cricket Podcast returns with the recently appointed High Performance Coordinator, Ardene Ruhode; or Deano.  We chat about his early life in Zimbabwe, what the cricket pathway looks like over there and why he left to find opportunities elsewhere. It's a journey that has taken him to England and Scotland before almost five years in Australia coaching in a variety of places. Now Deano is part of the Japan Cricket community we discuss his expectations and hopes as well as a little about his personal interests and why he thinks Japan is the right place for him.  Before getting into the discussion I do a quick rundown of the JCL T20 which now has just Finals Day remaining, as well as summarise last weekend's Embassy Cup.  As always a special thanks to BRB Munde for the backing music, and if you'd like to leave a review or follow the show on Instagram then please do so. The Instagram page is right here.

A special episode as I am joined on the pod by current Panasonic Wild Knights Head of Rugby, Robbie Deans.  In this chat Robbie and I discuss all sorts, starting off with his upbringing in rural Canterbury and the importance that gave to community sport, being part of something bigger than yourself and the value of being in a team environment, all the way through to his time with the Wallabies, why he took that role and what he learnt by doing it.  Robbie also shares some incredible insights into how he as become one of the most successful rugby coaches of the modern era. He talks about the importance of players owning their own circumstances, how the brain is the most important muscle for any sportsperson as well as the importance of failure in ones development.  This was a really special chat, please do share it around on social media as I feel there is a lot here that people can learn from.  If you have time please give a rating or even write a review on wherever you get your podcasts, and of course you can follow the show on the instagram page. Thanks to BRB Munde for the musical accompaniment, and to Nick McCorriston for his help with production. 

A new competition starts on Saturday 13th August, the Japan Cricket League T20! 16 teams will battle it out and so I invited podcast regular Dhugal Bedingfield to come and chat about it. We run you through all the groups as well as make some wildly unscientific predictions, which will inevitably leave us with egg on our faces. Prior to that there's the usual JCL round up as well.  As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show.

Join me, Alan Curr, as I chat with Kazi Murad about his journey from Dhaka in Bangladesh to playing cricket in Japan. As a founding member of the Rising Stars Cricket Club who has been on the Japan Cricket scene for more than 15 years, Kazi shares his insights on how cricket has developed and how he thinks communities can assist in growing the sport. For those who like to skim through their podcasts, here's how the talk develops: Start - 04:00 Domestic Round Up 04:00 - 12:00 Growing up in Bangladesh 12:00 - 18:05  Move to Japan & Chiba Sharks 18:05 - 30:10 Rising Stars 30:10 - 34:50 Thoughts on Cricket in Japan 34:50 - 40:15 Cricket Questions 40:15 - End Japan Questions & Wrap Up As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show.

On this episode I chat with one of the nicest people in Japan Cricket, Mai Yanagida. Listen to Mai discuss a cricket journey which has taken her to far flung places ranging from Bangladesh to Vanuatu via Scotland and most recently Sydney. We talk about her first impressions of the sport, how she balances a full time job with Hitachi and being a Japan National Squad Member.  Start - 4:40 Domestic Round Up 04:40 - 09:05 Early Life and Career 09:05 - 21:55 Cricket Development in Japan 21:55 - 37:00 International Cricket 37:00 - 39:05 Future Goals 39:05 - 45:35 Cricket Questions 45:35 - End Japan Questions  As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show.

Last month Shizuka Miyaji became the first professionally contracted player to make an appearance in a franchise T20 League. The FairBreak Invitational 2022 took place in Dubai and I caught up with "Zu" to hear all about her experiences, the players she played against and alongside, what she learned and that MVP performance.  Following that we revisit how Zu got into cricket, the Bronze Medal at the 2010 Asian Games and where women's cricket in Japan goes from here.  For those who like to skim through, here's the breakdown: Start - 04:30: Domestic Round Up 04:30 - 22:00: FairBreak Invitational 22:00 - 25:40: Early Life 25:40 - 34:00: Cricket and Playing for Japan 34:00 - 37:47: Cricket Specific Questions 37:47 - Finish: Japan Specific Questions As always if you have time to rate or review the show that would be great, or even just recommend it to one other person who might be interested, that'd be good too. You can follow the show on Instagram and you should also check out BRB Munde on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your tunes, big thanks to him for the backing music for the show. 

Join me for a meandering discussion with Kris Bayne as we discuss his time as an umpire and how he came back to playing cricket at the age of fifty (50!). "KB" also talks about his early days in Japan, how he ended up here and how he has seen both the country and the cricket scene develop.  For those who like to skip through episodes here are the timings:  Start - 4:15 Domestic Round Up 4:15 - 5:40 International News 5:40 - 13:10 Early Life 13:10 - 15:50 Arrival in Japan 15:50 - 21:05 Japan Cricket early days 21:05 - 30:00 Chiba Sharks and restarting cricket at 50 30:00 - 35:30 Umpiring 35:30 - 42:55 Development of, and getting the most out of, cricket in Japan 42:55 - 51:42 Cricket Questions 51:42 - End Japan Questions If you have time please do follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast, and feel free to message me there in the comments section for each episode, and if you have the time then a rating or review on whichever platform you listen would be much appreciated.

After a short break the Japan Cricket Pod returns with a fascinating chat with Alex Shirai-Patmore who was recently recalled to the Japan National Squad after an eight-year absence. This interview was done before that recall and you can hear Alex discuss his early cricketing experiences in the UK and playing with and against some of the best English players of this current generation, as well as how he has seen Japanese cricket evolve during his ten years living and playing here.  For those who like to skip through to various sections, here are the timings:  Start - 06:30 Season Round Ups 06:30 - 10:25 Early Life 10:25 - 20:20 Early Cricket in England 20:20 - 39:50 Cricket in Japan, Tokyo Wombats 39:50 - 58:45 International Career 58:45 - 1:15:45 Cricket Stories 1:15:45 - Finish Favourite things about Japan If you have time please do follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast, and feel free to message me there in the comments section for each episode, and if you have the time then a rating or review on whichever platform you listen would be much appreciated.

Welcome to another episode of the Japan Cricket Podcast! This week I am joined again by Dhugal Bedingfield, this time to discuss the recently completed Japan Futures League as well as the upcoming Japan Premier League which starts this Friday, 29th April.   There's also news of a career best score from one of Japan's finest in the JCL Division One, albeit in a losing cause, and a first win in five years for the club ranked at the foot of the Japan Cup rankings.  Don't forget that you can watch the JPL matches live on YouTube, we are trying to stream all matches so you can follow your favourite players and there will be plenty of updates on our social media platforms as well.   For those who might want to hear specific parts of the show only, here's the breakdown:   Start: Competition Round Up  5:00: Futures League Review  26:40: Japan Premier League Preview

This week we have four centuries and a five-fer to cover in the round up, before getting into a great conversation with Gurdeep Dua, founder of a genuine Super Club in Japan: the Men In Blue. As always I discuss where Gurdeep grew up and how his love of cricket developed, as well as how he ended up in Japan, before getting into detail about how the club was formed and then developed into the force they are today.  If you have time please do follow the show on Instagram: www.instagram.com/japan_cricket_podcast, and feel free to message me there in the comments section for each episode, and if you have the time then a rating or review on whichever platform you listen would be much appreciated.  For those who like to skip through shows, here's a guide to what you can find where (times not exact):  Start - 5:55 Intro and Domestic Scores Round Up  5:55 - 9:10 Early life in Delhi  9:10 - 11:10 First Experiences in Cricket   11:10 - 15:50 Move to Japan and Cricket in Japan  15:50 - 20:45 Men in Blue Origins  20:45 - 28:50 Coming into JCL and Club Structures  28:50 - 31:30 Developing Junior and Women's Cricket  31:30 - 34:30 Coach Development  34:30 - 36:45 Work/Life/Cricket Balance & Shared Responsibility in the Club  36:45 - 41:10 2021 Season Review   41:10 - 47:30 Cricket Questions  47:30 - End Japan Questions