Samoa, who won the coin toss, chooses Fielding First. Japanese captains Ota Kurumi and Miyaji Shizuka begin batting as opening batters. I would like to get off to a good start to the tournament in the first match.
It was bowling by Samoa captain Regina Lilii who cut off the batting trend. Shiraishi is hit with a bold and the flow is pulled back to Samoa. After that, he continued to actively replace bowlers as captain, and did not allow Japan to score goals. Japan continues batting with over 20 batting, but is unable to score as many points as they wish. The inning ended with 70 runs.
Samoa’s inning begins after a 20-minute break between offense and defensive shifts. Openers Via Andrew and Lagi Telea are not flashy, but they continue to bat effectively and get closer to Japan’s goals. Miyaji’s spin bowling was well controlled and he held back Samoa’s goals, but he was unable to score an out. With about 7 overs left, Samoa won. It’s a great victory for Samoa.
After the match, coach Katrina Keenan said that young players lacked the experience they only gained in the match. As the tournament progresses, we can expect better performance from the Japanese national team.