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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Shreyas Iyer has also emerged as one of India's best performers this year, providing consistent performances both overseas and in the IPL. The elegant right-hander from Mumbai was in top form in the ICC Champions Trophy that was played a few months ago, where he finished as India's top scorer in the tournament. Iyer took the momentum into the season of IPL 2025 as well, playing a crucial role for Punjab Kings and proving himself across all formats.

During the just concluded IPL, Iyer accumulated an impressive 604 runs in 17 matches and took Punjab Kings to their first IPL final in more than a decade. Though they fell short of winning the championship, Iyer's captaincy as well as batting effort was widely appreciated. His leadership and consistency have now put him in the limelight, and there are strong indications that he has entered the fray to become India's next white-ball captain.

As per a June 7 report by Indian Express, a top Indian cricket official confirmed that Iyer's name is in contention. "Right now he just plays ODIs, but after this IPL we can’t keep him out of T20 internationals and even Tests," the report quoted. His leadership qualities, along with his run-scoring talent, make him an interesting candidate in the post-Kohli and post-Rohit era.

A leadership contender in transition

In spite of his robust IPL credentials, Iyer has not yet captained the Indian senior team in any format. He won an IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 and also guided Punjab Kings to the final this year—acts that have cemented his reputation as a born leader. He was still surprisingly omitted from India's Test squad for the coming series against England, however, in light of the retirement of senior pillars.

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Having recently switched allegiance to SoBo Mumbai Falcons in T20 Mumbai 2025, Iyer's next task with the national side will arise in August when India visit Bangladesh to play three ODIs and three T20Is. With selectors eager to rebuild and reshuffle captaincy choices, Iyer's increasing profile makes him a strong favorite to lead India's white-ball future.