An exciting month of cricket is in store for Hawke's Bay and Central Districts Under 17 rep KOJI HARDGRAVE ABE who has been named captain of the men's Japan Under 19 team to compete at the imminent ICC East Asia Pacific Under 19 World Cup Qualifier in Darwin and Palmerston, Australia.

Born in Ushiku, Japan and raised in Hawke's Bay, the 17-year-old's first match will be a big one: the opening day clash with the strong New Zealand Under 19 team next Monday, 12 June.

The competing East Asia Pacific group consists of Japan (who head in as the defending champion of the EAP U19 tournament), New Zealand, Vanuatu, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Fiji.

Like Japan, New Zealand U19 didn't participate in the previous ICC Under 19 Men's World Cup due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and, in New Zealand's case, considerations around the impact of MIQ isolation on young people.
 

 

 

That means starting at square one to qualify for the 2024 ICC Men's Under 19 World Cup event in Sri Lanka, with the EAP tournament winner in Darwin to progress direct.

Meanwhile of the 16 teams that will contest next year's U19 World Cup, 11 have already automatically qualified based on their 2022 U19 World Cup results: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

Koji Hardgrave Abe, 17, represented CD at this year's NZC U17 Nationals

 

A member of the Havelock North club in Hawke's Bay and Sano Cricket Club in Japan, Hardgrave Abe has also already represented Japan's senior men's team in the T20 format - playing a T20 against a Sri Lanka Emerging Players squad last month in Japan.

That series was part of Japan's formal preparation for the East Asia Pacific T20 World Cup Regional Final at the men's level, which in turn is the pathway to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

So it's exciting times for the young Hawke's Bay right-hander who represented CD U17 at the 2022/23 NZC Under 17 National Tournament in January, where he was one of the side's top contributors with the bat.

Central Districts Cricket wishes Koji and his team all the very best for their upcoming tournament in Northern Australia.

 

JAPAN U19

Cricket World Cup Qualifier Fixtures

Darwin and Palmerston, Australia

Monday 12 June v New Zealand U19

1.30PM local time • 4PM NZT

Thursday 15 June v Fiji U19

10AM local time • 12.30PM NZT

Friday 16 June v Vanuatu U19

9.30AM local time • Noon NZT

Sunday 18 June v Samoa U19

9.30AM local time • Noon NZT

Monday 19 June v Papua New Guinea U19

1.30PM local time • 4PM NZT

Wednesday 21 June v Indonesia U19

11AM local time • 1.30PM NZT

 

NEW ZEALAND U19

Cricket World Cup Qualifier Fixtures

Monday 12 June v Japan U19

1.30PM local time • 4PM NZT

Tuesday 13 June v Vanuatu U19

1.30PM local time • 4PM NZT

Thursday 15 June v Samoa U19

9.30AM local time • Noon NZT

Friday 16 June v Fiji U19

10AM local time • 12.30PM NZT

Sunday 18 June v Papua New Guinea U19

1.30PM local time • 4PM NZT

Monday 19 June v Indonesia U19

10AM local time • 12.30PM NZT

Learn more about the New Zealand Under 19 squad here

Link for Full Schedule and all livescores here

Article added: Sunday 04 June 2023