Japan cricket grabs rare chance to gain exposure at Asian Games

NAGOYA - With the Asian Games providing a rare spotlight, Japan's men's cricket team is determined to seize the opportunity to raise the sport's profile in a country where it remains little known.

Two days after pushing world No. 1 India to the brink of an upset in a warmup game at the Japan Cricket Association's home base in Sano, Tochigi Prefecture, the host nation opened its Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games campaign Thursday with a 48-run loss to Group A opponent Afghanistan.