Vanuatu vs Japan Match Prediction

VANT

30%

Chance of Winning

JPN

70%

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Jul 28, 202302:00 AM

T20i

Amini Park

Vanuatu will take on Japan in the ninth match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia Pacific (EAP) Qualifier on July 28th morning. The two will meet at the same venue Amini Park in Port Moresby on Friday, with the scheduled start time of 4:30 AM IST.

Vanuatu vs Japan Chance of Winning

With one ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 spot on the line, Japan can not afford any mistakes in their last two games of the EAP Qualifier. Japan are second on the table with six points, having won three games and lost one. Their net run-rate of 0.946 is significantly lower than that of Papua New Guinea who have eight points. Vanuatu are out of the race, having lost all four games in the tournament.

Vanuatu are coming off a 39-run defeat at the hands of PNG on Wednesday. Patrick Matautaava was excellent with the ball, snaring 2 for 20 off four overs while Nalin Nipiko also bagged 2 for 20 in three overs. They did well to restrict the opponents to 148/7 but didn't have a good start to the run-chase. None of their batters could get going and were reduced to 42/4 in 10 overs. Simpson Obed, batting at number nine, was their top run-scorer with 11-ball 21* as Vanuatu bundled out for 109.

Japan defeated Philippines by 33 runs in their previous game on Wednesday. Batting first, none of their top four could go on to play a big knock. They were 62 for 4 in 11.4 overs and the innings was going nowhere. Sabaorish Ravichandran gave them a much needed push with 41 off 26 to take the total to 127/9. Japan couldn't land early blows in their defense but the bowlers made the run-scoring hard. Declan Suzuki picked 2 for 14 in three overs while the rest of the attack chipped in to hold off the Philippines to 94/5.

As for this encounter, Japan will head into the match as favourites given the form of two teams. The chances of winning for two sides are as follows.

• Vanuatu chance of winning @ 30%
• Japan chance of winning @ 70%

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Vanuatu vs Japan Betting Tips

Ronald Tari has got starts in each of the last five innings. He has made 21, 21, 18, 23 and 15 in these matches. Betting on him to score over 14.5 runs in the match seems a good option.

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming has been in pretty good form in the shorter format. His scores in the last five T20 innings read 31, 60, 65, 10 and 19. You can back him to score over 18.5 runs in the match.

Vanuatu vs Japan Toss Prediction

Japan have been pretty lucky when it comes to the toss, winning it on seven of the last nine occasions. In six of these games, they have batted first and have had good success. Vanuatu have won the toss in three games in this tournament, opting to bat first in two. We predict Japan to win the toss and bat first in this match.

Weather Report

The weather in Port Moresby is expected to be partly sunny on Friday morning. There is no real threat of rain with only around a 25% chance of precipitation. The temperature will range between 30-34 degree Celsius, with the wind gusts blowing at 35 kmph.

Vanuatu Player List

Vanuatu squad: Patrick Matautaava (c), Jamal Vira (Wk), Clement Tommy, Joshua Rasu, Junior Kaltapau, Ronald Tari, Womejo Wotu, Andrew Mansale, Nalin Nipiko, Jarryd Allan (Wk), Apolinaire Stephen, Darren Wotu, Obed Yosef, Simpson Obed, Williamsing Nalisa

Predicted Playing XI

Vanuatu Recent Form

Vanuatu just haven't hit their straps in the tournament, losing all four games. They suffered a nine-wicket defeat in the first game at the hands of PNG before losing to Japan by 21 runs. They couldn't get the job done against Philippines either, losing by six wickets. Most recently, Vanuatu went down by 39 runs versus PNG.

Japan Player List

Japan squad:Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming (c), Lachlan Lake, Sabaorish Ravichandran, Tsuyoshi Takada, Declan Suzuki, Makoto Taniyama, Reo Sakurano, Shirai-Patmore (Wk), Supun Navaratne (Wk), Wataru Miyauchi (Wk), Ibrahim Takahashi, Kohei Kubota, Mian Siddique, Piyush Kumbhare, Ryan Drake

Predicted Playing XI

Japan Recent Form

Japan eased past Philippines in the most recent fixture by 33 runs. They began the EAP Qualifier with a comfortable win over Philippines by 53 runs. They then beat Vanuatu by 21 runs in the second game while defending 131. Japan faced a stronger opponent in Papua New Guinea in their third game and lost by six wickets.

Vanuatu vs Japan Head-to-Head Record

Japan and Vanuatu have faced each other only once in T20 cricket, which was in this competition only. Japan were victorious in the match by 21 runs after posting 131 runs on the board.

Vanuatu vs Japan Betting Odds

Japan to hit most sixes in the match

Japan have a superior batting line-up between these two teams. Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming, Sabaorish Ravichandran, Declan Suzuki and Ibrahim Takahashi are all capable of hitting big shots. Japan have hit 14 sixes in four matches in this tournament. Betting on Japan to hit the most sixes in the match would give you good returns.

Vanuatu to score under 30.5 runs in the first 6 overs

Vanuatu just haven't been able to do anything right in the EAP Qualifier. Their batting unit has struggled badly to score runs, let alone at a good rate. Their totals in the four games so far read 71, 110, 97 and 109. It would be wise to bet on Vanuatu to score under 30.5 runs in the first six overs.

Vanuatu vs Japan Top Team Batter

Joshua Rasu to be Vanuatu’s best batter

None of the Vanuatu batters have stepped up in the tournament. However, Joshua Rasu has a decent record in the shorter format. He has 489 runs at an average of 22 and strike rate of 113. Rasu has two fifties in the competition. You can take a punt on Rasu to be Vanuatu's top batter in this match.

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming to be Japan’s best batter

Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming fell cheaply in the last two games but did well in the first two games of the EAP Qualifier. He blasted 60 off 37 against Philippines in the first game and followed it up with 65 off 54 against Vanuatu. He has 431 runs from 11 T20I matches at an average of 43 and strike rate of 162. Bet on Kadowaki-Fleming to be Japan's top batter in this match.

Vanuatu vs Japan Top Team Bowlers

Patrick Matautaava to be Vanuatu’s best bowler

Patrick Matautaava has done a good job with the ball in this EAP Qualifier tournament. He has picked six wickets in four games, including 3 for 10 against Japan in their previous encounter. He has 27 scalps from 20 innings at a strike rate of 15.1. You can back him to be Vanuatu's top bowler.

Piyush Kumbhare to be Japan’s best bowler

Piyush Kumbhare was excellent in the previous game against Philippines, picking 1 for 13 off his four overs. Earlier he snared 2/11 in the first game versus Philippines and 2/23 against Vanuatu. The left arm spinner has 13 wickets in 10 T20Is at 3.65 economy. Back Kumbhare to be Japan's top bowler in this fixture.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Japan

Japan have won three out of four games in the ongoing tournament while Vanuatu haven't been able to get a single win. Japan have a better side on paper, with a stronger batting line-up between the two and a decent bowling unit. Moreover, Japan had defeated Vanuatu by 21 runs in the earlier clash. We predict Japan to win this clash.

• Vanuatu to win - 2.65
• Japan to win - 1.42

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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