17 Sep 2018

Men’s East Asia Cup 2018 Review

The 2018 Men’s East Asia Cup concluded Saturday afternoon, with Japan being crowned Champions at Tin Kwong Road Recreational Ground. They were unbeaten in the group stages and beat the CHK Sportsroad Dragons by 86 runs in the Grand Final.

With Typhoon Mangkhut looming, the Final was rescheduled from Sunday to Saturday afternoon, which meant both finalists would be playing their 2^nd game of the day. Japan elected to bat first, and despite being bowled out, managed to put up the highest score of the tournament so far – 160 in 19.4 overs. The Dragons run chase never got going. Japan bowled and fielded superbly, dismissing the Dragons for 74 runs, capping of an impressive campaign.

Featuring China, South Korea, Japan and the CHK Dragons, the East Asia Cup is an annual T20 tournament set up with the intention of developing cricket with the region. The countries take turns hosting it, and each year alternates between the Men’s and Women’s teams. This year’s tournament was scheduled to run from 13^th to 16^th September. However, due to Typhoon Mangkhut, the tournament was shortened to just 3 days. This meant 3 games on Saturday 15^th September, with the 3^rd vs 4^th playoff being called off.

Japan announced their presence on Day 1 at TKKRG, with a comprehensive 49 run victory over the CHK Dragons in their opening fixture. A blazing fifty from Masaomi Kobayashi took them to 155/8, and only Jason Lui (with a 50 of his own) was able to negotiate the Japanese bowling - the Dragons bowled out for 106. But that wasn’t the most impressive win on Day 1 – that honour went to South Korea, with a 9 wicket victory in a rain-affected game against China. A fantastic bowling effort kept China to just 67/4 in 15 overs, and a blazing 47* from Kim Daeyeon saw South Korea chase it down in just 8.4 overs.

Day 2 was hosted by the Hong Kong Cricket Club, and both of Day 1’s winners were in action first up. Japan elected to bat first against Korea and put on another fine batting display - Makoto Taniyama’s 58 leading them to 158/6 in their 20 overs. But it was Kim Daeyeon’s hattrick stole the spotlight. After dismissing Kobayashi, Kim unleashed two vicious quicker balls to rattle the stumps, making history by taking the first ever hattrick of the Men’s East Asia Cup. This accomplishment sparked spirited celebrations in the Korean side, but they were to be short lived. Korea came out hard in the runchase, and even though they kept finding the boundary, they also kept losing wickets, and were eventually bowled out for just 74 runs in 12.5 overs. Japan, with that 84-run victory, had all but sealed their spot in the Finals.

The second game of the day saw a thrilling run chase by China to upset the Dragons, who were the pre-game favourites. Batting first, the Dragon’s innings followed a familiar pattern – Jason Lui scored a 50, and HK ended their innings at 107/9. China bowled wonderfully in the powerplay, reducing the Dragons to 14/3 in 6 overs, a start from which they never really recovered. In response, Tian Su Qing hit a composed 45, and alongside Tian Sen Qun (who early had taken 4/8), weathered a strong Dragon’s attack to eventually take China over the line in the 19^th over, registering their first win of the tournament.

Roll around Day 3 at TKRRG, only Japan were certain of their spot in the final. China and Korea were sitting at 1 win a piece, so a win for either could see them through to the final. But even the Dragons, with 2 losses in 2 games, were in with a chance – they would need China to lose to Japan, and a massive victory over Korea, in order to make the finals.

The China versus Japan game was first. China won the toss and decided to bat first, perhaps noticing Japan’s proficiency at defending scores. However, the Japanese bowlers were impressive yet again, and Zhang Yu Fei’s hard-fought 50 just managed to drag China past the triple figure mark, his team ending on 103/6 in 20 overs. Rui Matsumura joined the list the EAC 2018 hattricks - taking the second of the tournament, but the very first one in Japan’s history. His final analysis reading 4-1-9-4. Japan batted sensibly in the run chase, and despite a spirited bowling and fielding effort, China just did not have enough runs to challenge a strong batting lineup. The target was chased down in 16.3 overs for just 3 wickets, and whether they made the finals would now depend on the outcome of the next game.

Korea vs CHK Dragons was essentially a knock-out game. All Korea had to do was win to make the Finals, while a narrow loss would see China make it through on NRR. However, if the Dragons could win comprehensively enough, they would leapfrog China, and come from behind to take on Japan in the finals.

Korea elected to bat first and got off to a strong start – 102/3 in 12 overs. That’s when the Dragons came roaring back, putting on their best bowling and fielding display of the tournament so far to restrict Korea to 146/9 in 20 overs. It would still require something special for the Dragons to make the finals – not only would they have to complete the highest successful run chase of the tournament so far, but they would have to do so in under 18 overs.

Something special is exactly what they got – Jason Lui rattling off his third consecutive fifty, and the highest score of the tournament, with 84 not out in just 36 balls. A remarkable display of big hitting in front of a cheering crowd, Jason Lui single-handedly secured the Dragons spot in the finals – the target was chased down in just 15.5 overs, and the most improbable outcome had come to be!

It was a short turn-around for the Dragons, and the final got underway just 30 minutes later. Japan won the toss and elected to bat first. They proceeded to put on their best batting display of the tournament yet. Tomoki Ota and Makato Taniyama top scored as they were bowled out for 160 - the highest score of the tournament so far. Henry Siu took 4/29, and the entire team contributed with the ball and in the field, but Japan's deep batting ensure that the Dragons would have a steep mountain to climb.

The Dragons struck early - Henry Siu removing Kano LBW in the first over, and he added the wickets of Kobayashi and Kimura in an opening spell of 3/20. Japan were 31/3 in 5 overs when Ota joining Taniyama at the crease.

Together they put on 58 runs in 5 overs, batting wonderfully and hitting the ball all around the park. The partnership was broken by Siegfried Wai - bowling for the first time this tournament. He took a while to find his radar, but eventually got it right, dismissing the dangerous Taniyama for 34. Ota fell a couple of overs later, beaten by the Ka U's flight, for 42, but that didn't stop the Japanese batsmen from playing their shots. They made full use of their batting depth, and cameos Takada, Takahashi and Miyauchi took them to the highest score of the tournament yet, with 2 balls to spare. The Dragons fielded mostly well, but missed a couple of catches and had a few misfields - the exhaustion of two back to back games showing. Henry Siu was the pick of the bowlers with 4/29.

The Dragon’s run chase didn't get off to the start they would have liked - skipper Like Ka Ming LBW in the second over, and Damien Yee run out at the end of the third. This brought Ken Tsang and Jason Lui to the crease with the score 13/2 after 3.

The two of them put on 36 runs in the next 5 overs, and there was the sense that if the Dragons were to win, they would need a big partnership from these two. It wasn't to be - legspinner Taniyama following up his 34 by dismissing Jason, caught at point trying to hit against the turn.

Enter Tsuyoshi Takada. He broke the backbone of the Dragons batting in the next over, with 3 wickets in 4 balls - Ken Tsang, Siegfried Wai and Bobby Chan. At 49/6, victory was but just a formality. Takada finished with 4/13 in his 4 overs – which, together with his 19 runs in the first innings – won him the Player of The Match award.

Japan were worthy Champions of the 2018 East Asia Cup – not only were they fantastic on the field, but they were fantastic off it. They award the best player on the opposing team with a bandanna after every game, and hyped themselves before each match with a passionate round of ‘Honki Janken’ – best described as extreme rock-paper-scissors. They were friendly and full off laughs off the field, and their presence lit up an entertaining tournament.

The Player Of The Series award went to Jason Lui – who scored 207 runs in 4 innings. He scored more runs that 2^nd and 3^rd place combined, hit 3 out of the 7 fifties scored in the entire tournament, and his 19 sixes was 13 more than any one individual player managed. He batted incredibly all series, and entertained everyone who came out to watch.

The Dragons also had the three top wicket-takers of the tournament – Henry Siu with 8 wickets, Li Ka Ming and Ka U Lynn with 7 each – what Makato Taniyama, Kim Daeyeon, Zhang Yu Fei and Jun Hynwoo all put in impressive all-round performances throughout the tournament.

The East Asia Cup continues to be a wonderful tournament, and a cherished part of the cricketing schedule for all nations involved. Photos of the event can be found on our Facebook page, and scorecards are available on Cricinfo. We thank all the teams for coming out, and look forward to doing this again next year!