A historic win by the Japan cricket team. In a nail-biting last-over thriller of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier (Japan vs Samoa), they defeated Samoa by 4 runs. Samoa needed only 9 runs in the very last over of the match. But Japan did not allow them to score the runs; they bowled brilliantly under pressure.

Samoa started off the last over with a double. In the next couple of deliveries, the Japan pacer produced two dot balls, and in the 4th delivery of the over, he picked up a wicket. In the last couple of deliveries, Samoa had to score 7 runs to win the match. And in the last delivery, they had to hit a maximum to emerge victorious.

The Japanese cricket team remained calm under pressure and successfully defended the total and left the field as the winning side. At the Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket (Ministry Turf 1) in Oman, Samoa won the toss and elected to bowl first. Japan, batting first, scored a competitive total of 162 runs in the first innings.

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Japan won the match after a thrilling last over

For the opening pair, they scored 70 runs and provided the team a solid base to score a good total. Abhishek Anand, one of the openers of Japan, smashed 55 runs in 42 balls. Samoa batters fought toe-to-toe with their opponent.

Saumani Tiai's aggressive batting kept Samoa in the right. The batter who scored 34 runs against 17 deliveries with one boundary and 3 over boundaries was on strike during the thrilling last over. Shoma Slater, the Japanese pacer, prepared for him. Slater not only took the wicket of the dangerous batter but also helped the team to win the match as well. 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Japan Cricket Association (JCA) recently grabbed worldwide attention with a fun Instagram post that posed a "What if?" scenario to fans. They asked what if any of these legends decided to come out of T20I retirement to play for Japan, mentioning Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Rohit Sharma, and many other cricketing legends. The viral post highlighted the enduring popularity of these players, especially Kohli, who is loved even in emerging cricket countries like Japan.

Kohli, who retired from T20I cricket in 2024 and Test cricket in 2025 to concentrate on ODIs, remains a cricketing powerhouse. He is still a huge figure in the sport of cricket, as of 2025, he has amassed a world record for the most ODI centuries with 51. He also recently became the fastest player to reach 14,000 ODI runs, which he did in 287 innings during the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Kohli is set to return to international cricket in a three-match ODI series against Australia, starting on October 19 in Perth. Shubman Gill is India’s new ODI captain, and Shreyas Iyer is the vice-captain. Even so, Kohli’s presence will be very important for the team. His experience will help India stay strong, especially in tough overseas conditions like Australia.

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See Also: "End of..."- Rohit Sharma's old-shared cryptic post goes viral after Shubman Gill becomes India's new ODI captain

India vs Australia ODI Series Schedule:

• 1st ODI: Oct 19, 2025 – Perth Stadium, Perth, 9:00 AM IST
• 2nd ODI: Oct 23, 2025 – Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, 9:00 AM IST
• 3rd ODI: Oct 25, 2025 – Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, 9:00 AM IST

Kohli has a wonderful record against Australia in ODIs. He has made 2,367 runs in 49 matches at an average of 53.79, with eight hundreds and 14 fifties as part of the tally. The return of the India captain will be music to the ears of fans, as they are eager to see him adding more runs to his tally. His return to experience a team going through a leadership transition will add stability. This upcoming series is set to be thrilling, with Kohli set to sparkle once again on the world stage.