J-BASH Cricket in Kanagawa
Bats “cracked” as they hit balls. Fielders ran hard to intercept them before they hit the fence. Wickets fell and runs were made. There were high-fives of celebration and tears of disappointment.
This is Japanese women’s cricket. While it’s a minor sport in this country, they play on the international stage.
If you didn’t know, the game was played at the Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture in 2026. They made it to the quarter-finals which was a great effort considering they played against long-established teams.
Cricket is a game that has potential in Japan. To promote it, especially to women, the Japan Cricket Association created J-BASH.
What is J-BASH cricket?
J-BASH is an initiative organized by the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) aimed at promoting women’s cricket in the country. The program includes several formats for different skill levels:
- J-BASH Social: Fun, free-to-attend introductory events and workshops for beginners to try the game in a relaxed environment.
- J-BASH Hardball: Competitive or semi-competitive events for experienced female players who play with standard hard cricket balls.
- J-BASH All Stars: Feature exhibition matches or specialized fixtures highlighting top-tier female cricket talent in Japan.
Watching J-BASH at BST Nagasawa Sports Ground
The All-Stars game saw players from the national squad organized into two teams, J-Bash Pinks and J-Bash Yellows.
BST Nagasawa Sports Ground in Kanagawa Prefecture isn’t the Sydney Cricket Ground, but it’s a quality place and accessible from central Tokyo. A walk to the ground followed the twenty-minute train ride from Shinjuku to Ikuta Station. It gave me time to think about my shooting plan for the day.
Well, on a beautiful Sunday in April 2021, I photographed one of their games. The teams contained national squad members. It was a chance to use my new (at the time) Fujifilm XF100-400mm F4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR lens.
A day of cricket
The event started with a social women’s bash in the morning, which was fun. Participants learned more about cricket and will hopefully take up the game in the future. The main event was in the afternoon. I looked forward to seeing fireworks.
The teams, J-Bash Pinks and J-Bash Yellows, had appropriately colored shirts. Japan’s national and international players were everywhere. Shouts of encouragement echoed across the field all day. Fist bumps flew that day, signs of teams eager to finally get the game underway.
Naotsune Miyaji and Darshak Bhuptani umpired the game. Both men have served Japanese cricket for a long time. Naotsune was a member of Japan’s National Men’s team. Darshak played with Yokohama’s Alpha Quashers.
A low-scoring but gritty match
While the women had some practice the previous weekend at a trials session for the national squad, this game at Nagasawa was a low-scoring affair. J-Bash Yellows made 102 for the loss of four wickets. The Pinks struggled to eight for 70 runs.
In retrospect, that should have been expected. None of the players played much cricket the previous year due to the pandemic. The game was their first in a while. It should have been considered a warm-up match. While no one made a huge individual score, several chipped in with useful ones.
Standout performances
The pick of the batters was Nao Tokizawa. Her positive, aggressive style was a joy to photograph. When she hit her two huge sixes, I had the XF100-400mm zoomed all the way in, tracking the ball against the sky. Capturing peak action like that requires a fast shutter speed, at least 1/1000s, to freeze both the player and the ball.
Shizuka Miyaji got the highest score of the day. She made 34 from 51 balls, including one six. Her skills aren’t limited to batting; she also bowls a useful left-arm spin, giving me another style of action to capture through the lens.
The best bowling figures went to Kiyo Fujikawa. She ended with three wickets for nine runs off four overs for the J-Bash Pinks. Her bowling was effective and economical. At 18, she was young. How she develops in the future remains to be seen, but she had the hallmarks of a good Japanese Women’s cricket player.
Glimpses of cricket brilliance
While a few catches went down, a couple of stumpings stood out. It was good to see a batter dance down the pitch with the ball barely missing the bat. The keeper whipped the bails off quickly. I bet a few choice Japanese curse words were muttered on the walk back to the pavilion.
The game gave us a taste of everything. There were some glimpses of what the batting might be. The bowling seemed capable. No one bowled express pace, but the mediums were accurate, neat, and tidy.
Australia’s Chelsea Moscript also put on a good display of wily legspin. Some of the fielding was excellent. It was a pity we didn’t see more runs, but I was satisfied.
Putting the Fujifilm lens to the test
Cricket is played on a large field. The XF100-400mm ( 152-609mm on a full-frame camera) gave me the reach I needed. The players were big in my EVF (Electronic ViewFinder). I had a fast and accurate autofocus system that tracked running players easily. It was a great day for sports photography.
Japanese women’s cricket has a bright future
In the end, the low-scoring match at Nagasawa was more than a game; it was a fresh start. It was a glimpse of the passion and potential within Japanese women’s cricket. For me, it was the perfect challenge for my new lens and a satisfying day of capturing the raw emotion of a sport finding its feet.
The women’s big scores will surely come. The grit, determination, and flashes of brilliance I saw through my viewfinder at BST Nakagasawa prove the game’s future is bright. If you want to learn more about cricket in Japan, look at the official [Japan Cricket Association website].
