In match number 19 of the ACC Women’s T20 Premier Cup 2026, between Japan Women and Myanmar Women, Myanmar Women won the toss. They elected to field first, but Japan Women went on to win the match by 12 runs.
Japan Women posted a competitive total of 106/4 in their 20 overs, recovering well after a slow start from their top order. Openers Haruna Iwasaki and Erika Oda were dismissed cheaply, scoring 2 runs and 5 runs respectively, with Iwasaki falling to Zon Lin and Oda becoming the first of Wa Thone Nadi’s victims. Captain Mai Yanagida chipped in with 11 runs off 22 deliveries, hitting 2 boundaries before being caught behind off Wa Thone Nadi’s over.
The centerpiece of Japan’s innings was a crucial performance by Ayaka Kato-Stafford, who top-scored with a patient, unbeaten 42 runs from 44 balls. She put together an effective partnership with Shimako Kato, who provided the innings with much needed acceleration by smashing 30 runs off just 24 deliveries,including 5 boundaries before being stumped off Soe’s bowling. Kurumi Ota remained unbeaten at the end with 8 runs from 13 balls, while the total was further boosted by 8 extras, including 1 bye, 3 leg byes, and 4 wides.
Myanmar Women utilized a seven-bowler attack to limit Japan Women’s scoring. Wa Thone Nadi was the standout performer with the ball, delivering a remarkably economical spell to take 2 wickets for just 9 runs in her 4 overs. Zon Lin provided excellent support by picking up 1 wicket for 16 runs in her 4 overs, which included the innings’ only maiden over.
Theint Soe managed to secure the final breakthrough, claiming 1 wicket during her 4 overs, though she was somewhat more expensive after conceding 26 runs. Zar Win and Lin Lin Tun also delivered disciplined, wicketless spells; Win gave away 20 runs in her 4 overs, while Tun was tidy, conceding just 7 runs across her 2 overs. In contrast, the remaining overs bowled by Htet Aung and Pan Ei Phyu proved expensive, with Aung conceding 10 runs in her solitary over and Phyu leaking 14 runs in her single over.
Myanmar Women struggled to keep pace with the required run rate, ultimately finishing their 20 overs at 94/7. The middle order saw a heavy collapse engineered by Ayaka Kato Stafford, who clean bowled Thae Thae Aung for a 7 ball duck, before having captain Theint Soe stumped by Goto for 22 runs off 23 balls. Kato Stafford struck again almost immediately by removing Zon Lin for a 3 ball duck and later claimed a caught and bowled dismissal against Moe Ei Phyu, who departed for 5 runs. May San also found it difficult to accelerate, managing only 2 runs from 15 deliveries before being clean bowled by Nonoha Yasumoto.
Despite the regular fall of wickets, Zar Win fought hard at the back end of the innings, remaining unbeaten on a team high 24 runs off 24 deliveries, which included 2 boundaries. She was paired alongside Lin Lin Tun, who contributed 11 runs from 17 balls before being run out by Nonoha Yasumoto on the final stretch. Aided by 13 extras which consisted of 2 leg byes and 11 wides Myanmar Women completed their full allotment of 20 overs with a final score of 94/7.
Japan Women’s defense of their total was headlined by an extraordinary, match-winning spell from Ayaka Kato-Stafford. Kato Stafford dismantled the Myanmar batting lineup, picking up 4 wickets for just 4 runs across her 4 overs, which included 2 maiden overs, leaving her with a phenomenal economy rate of 1.00. Providing steady support from the other end, Shimako Kato delivered a highly economical spell, taking 1 wicket for 14 runs in her 4 overs, while Nonoha Yasumoto also picked up a breakthrough, finishing with figures of 1 for 30 from her 4 overs.
The remaining overs were shared among three wicketless bowlers who maintained decent control to keep Myanmar behind the required run rate. Mamta Kaswan bowled a disciplined 4 overs, conceding 18 runs, while Ahilya Chandel mirrored her runs allowed by giving up 18 runs from 3 overs. Ayumi Fujikawa closed out the bowling attack with a single over that went for 8 runs.While the team bowled zero no-balls throughout the innings, they did give away a few loose deliveries, conceding a total of 10 wides.
Japan Women secured their victory through Shimako Kato’s crucial middle order acceleration, which injected momentum into a slow start, and an extraordinary, match-winning bowling spell from Ayaka Kato-Stafford, who dismantled the opposition by taking 4 wickets for just 4 runs. Conversely, Myanmar Women ended up losing due to severe batting stagnation, highlighted by multiple ducks and low-scoring entries that consumed critical deliveries, which triggered a crushing top-order collapse that saw them lose three wickets for 23 runs early in the chase.
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