Hong Kong fight back against a renewed Japan T20 side to win Women’s East Asia Cup
- Hong Kong’s women’s T20 squad fend off a hugely improved Japanese side to take the third game, and the series, by just 3 runs with 1 game remaining
- 16-year old Georgina Bradley makes her international T20 debut, with skipper Kary Chan hailing her as ‘the future of Hong Kong cricket’
Hong Kong held their nerve and fought back against a hugely improved Japanese side to win the third match of the Women’s East Asia Cup in Kaizuka, Japan and clinch the series with one game still to play.
Opening batter Natasha Miles set the tone for the city’s T20 side, hitting an unbeaten 86 runs from 70 balls to leave Japan with a hefty chase of 142.
A vastly-improved host side came out looking to better their first two matches, which Hong Kong won in convincing fashion, and their big-hitting strategy paid off nicely.
Erika Oda was impressive from the get-go, smashing a huge six in her first over to send a message that Japan were not out of the series just yet. Their aggression with the bat continued as Oda and opening batting partner Akari Kano put a solid 66 runs on the board before Oda was caught in the deep by Miles.
Japan continued to press, thanks largely to Kano, who added 54 runs, and it looked like their first win was within reach.
The final over saw Japan needing just six runs to wrap up the game and secure their first win, but the controlled bowling of Mariko Hill and two crucial wickets shut down their run rate and any hopes of halting Hong Kong’s momentum.
