Japan U-19 National Academy Trials 2021: Photo Gallery

It was another exciting day at the Sano International Cricket Ground for the Japan U-19 National Academy Squad 2021 trials. Having recently been there to photograph the women’s team, I was eager to return and see what the young men could do. I managed to capture some great action, and we all got a glimpse of what the future might hold for Japanese cricket.

The road to the World Cup

The players arrived with a clear goal: to secure a place in the National Academy Squad and, ultimately, compete in the Under-19 World Cup. It was their day to prove themselves.

Head Selector Simon Dart and Head Coach Dhugal Bedingfield were ready for them. They put the boys through the same rigorous fitness and skills tests used for the women’s trials. While Japan may not have a long history with cricket, these kids clearly knew what they were doing.

Talent on display

Some of the U-19 pace bowlers were very impressive, delivering good speed and displaying control to move the ball off the pitch and through the air.

I was also happy to see spinners in the mix. As a massive fan of leg-spin—idolizing legends like Bill O’Reilly, Abdul Qadir, and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan—it was a delight to watch them bowl. They were supported by sharp work from the wicketkeeper.

The batting was equally excellent. The boys had a full range of shots, and baseball had obviously influenced a few of them. That hard-hitting style might actually be an advantage in T20. Most importantly, they were young, eager, and ready to learn from Simon and Dhugal.

Japan U-19 National Academy Squad photo gear

Camera: Fujifilm X-T3
Lens: Fujifilm 100-400 mm

My thoughts about these photos.

These photographs made me happy. They captured the action and are “clean,” meaning that few distractions were in the background to take focus away from the players.

However, if I could retake these photos, I would change one major thing. I realized too late that I made a mistake with my positioning: I was shooting into the sun, leaving many of the players in the shade.

I should have set up on the other side of the pitch. If I had done that, the sun would have lit them beautifully. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the schedule of the day, I didn’t make the move.

It was a missed opportunity, to say the least. I should have asked for some changes to get better angles, but it’s a valuable lesson learned for next time. If conditions don’t suit us, we need to be proactive and make changes.

Despite the lighting challenges, I thoroughly enjoyed my time photographing the trials. I sincerely wish the boys the best of luck; achieving their aims will be an excellent thing for Japanese cricket.