Japan, led by skipper Mai Yanagida, hosted Malaysia, led by skipper Mas Elysa, for a three-match T20I series from 11th to 13th September 2026. The bilateral series comes just ahead of the upcoming 4th edition of the Asian Games hosted by Japan, where women’s cricket is scheduled from 17th to 22nd September 2026.
The 1st T20I of the series was washed out due to rain, without a ball being bowled.
Ainna Hamizah Hashim, Wan Julia and bowlers star as Malaysia take 1-0 lead
The Japan skipper Mai Yanagida won the toss and opted to field first. Malaysia managed a competitive total of 100/4 in their quota of 20 overs. The Malaysian openers Ainna Hamizah Hashim (32 off 46 balls) and the wicket-keeper batter Wan Julia (37 off 49 balls) set the tone with a massive 62-run opening stand. Skipper Mas Elysa (17 off 16 balls) played her part with the bat for her side. The innings had 7 extras.
Ayumi Fujikawa (4-0-18-2) and Shimako Kato (4-0-16-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for Japan. Ahilya Chandel (4-0-24-0), Kurumi Ota (3-0-11-0) and Nonoha Yasumoto (3-0-10-0) were impressive with the ball for their side.
Chasing a target of 101, Japan were restricted to 82/6 in their quota of 20 overs, falling 18 runs short of the target. Erika Oda (20 off 34 balls), Shimako Kato (16 off 20 balls) and the wicket-keeper batter Hinase Goto (14 off 23 balls) were the only batters to enter the double digits with the bat for Japan. The innings had 9 extras.
Aisya Eleesa (3-0-9-2), Nur Dania Syuhada (4-0-13-1) and Winifred Duraisingam (4-0-19-1) were the only wicket-takers with the ball for Malaysia. Dhanusri Muhunan (3-0-11-0) was impressive in her spell with the ball for her side. Ainna Hamizah Hashim (32 off 46 balls) was awarded the Player of the Match for her crucial knock. Her knock included 3 boundaries.
Clinical show from the bowlers levels the T20I series for Japan with a narrow win
The Japan skipper Mai Yanagida yet again won the toss; however, this time around, she decided to bat first. The Japan openers Haruna Iwasaki and the wicket-keeper batter Akari Nishimura got their side off to a steady start with a 29-run opening stand. Aisya Eleesa broke the stand by sending Haruna Iwasaki (21 off 16 balls) back to the pavilion in the 5th over of the innings to provide the 1st breakthrough for Malaysia.
Japan eventually posted 105/6 in their quota of 20 overs. Shimako Kato (18* off 21 balls), Erika Oda (17 off 22 balls), skipper Mai Yanagida (16 off 22 balls) and the wicket-keeper batter Akari Nishimura (15 off 26 balls) chipped in with decent contributions with the bat for their side. Nurin Imanina (4-1-17-4) was the standout performer with the ball for Malaysia. Aisya Eleesa (3-0-12-1), Nur Dania Syuhada (3-0-12-0) and Winifred Duraisingam (3-0-10-0) were impressive with the ball for their side.
Chasing a target of 106, Malaysia were bundled out for 94, with 13 balls to spare, falling 11 runs short of the target. Dhanusri Muhunan (17 off 19 balls), skipper Mas Elysa (11 off 12 balls) and Nurin Imanina (10 off 16 balls) were the only batters to enter the double digits with the bat for Malaysia. There were as many as 19 extras in the innings.
Ahilya Chandel (2.5-0-16-3), Nonoha Yasumoto (3-0-9-2), Shimako Kato (3-0-9-1), Mamta Kaswan (4-0-21-2) and Ayumi Fujikawa (4-0-22-1) were exceptional with the ball for Japan.
Haruna Iwasaki was awarded the Player of the Match for her pivotal contributions, scoring 21 (16 balls) with the bat and grabbing a couple of catches in the field, helping her side to a narrow win.
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