Kazuma Kato-Stafford to lead Japan in ICC U-19 World Cup 2026

18-year-old Kazuma Kato-Stafford will captain Japan's squad for the ICC Men's U-19 World Cup 2026 in Namibia and Zimbabwe. The team includes key players Nikhil Pol and Timothy Moore, and is placed in Group A with defending champions Australia.

The 18-year-old Kazuma Kato-Stafford will captain Japan for the upcoming ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup. The ICC tournament will be played in January-February 2026 in Namibia and Zimbabwe, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Squad Inclusions and Recent Performance

Former Japan captain Nikhil Pol and all-rounder Timothy Moore, who missed the recent Asian Cricket Council Premier Cup in Ajman in November-December, are included in the Under-19 squad for the World Cup.

In the Premier Cup, Japan recorded a positive result against the Maldives. They defeated the Maldives by 366 runs after smashing 422/7 in their 50 overs. Japan then thrashed Qatar by 183 runs. However, they lost to Oman, which cost them a spot in the semifinals.

Japan's Nihar Parmar, who played a superb knock of 156 runs off 132 deliveries against Maldives and Kobayashi-Doggett, who hammered 106 in 73 balls against Qatar, are both in the World Cup squad.

Group Draw and Preparations

Japan are drawn in Group A alongside defending champions Australia, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and West Indies. They will leave for Southern Africa on January 5 and play a few warm-up fixtures before the start of the tournament.

Coaching Staff

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, the captain of the senior men's team, is the assistant coach for the Under-19 team. Reo Sakurano-Thomas, active senior team cricketer, is the team's head coach.

Tournament Overview

The ICC Men's U19 Cricket World Cup 2026 will kick off on January 15, with five-time champions India set to take on the USA, while hosts Zimbabwe play Scotland and debutants Tanzania take on the West Indies on the opening day. The tournament, with the final on February 6, will showcase the finest up-and-coming talent from the participating sides.

The format will be similar to previous iterations, with 16 teams divided into groups of four in the first stage. 41 matches will be played over 23 days, as per ICC. Zimbabwe and Namibia will co-host it. The defending champions, Australia, who beat India in the 2024 finals, will start their campaign against Ireland on day two at Windhoek, Namibia.

Japan squad for ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup

Kazuma Kato-Stafford (captain), Charles Hara-Hinze, Gabriel Hara-Hinze, Montgomery Hara-Hinze, Kaisei Kobayashi-Doggett, Timothy Moore, Skyler Nakayama-Cook, Ryuki Ozeki, Nihar Parmar, Nikhil Pol, Chihaya Sekine, Hugo Tani-Kelly, Sandev Aaryan Waduge, Kai Wall, Taylor Waugh. (ANI)

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