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‘Don’t understand it, but it looks fun’ | The Express Tribune
Japan’s Alex Shirai-Patmore (left) and Vanuatu’s Junior Kaltapau during their ICC T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific qualifier at Korogi Sports Park. Photo: AFP
JAPAN:
Curious spectators clutching rulebooks watch as a batsman smacks a six into the sand and weeds surrounding Japan’s brand-new cricket ground, four months before it hosts matches at the Asian Games.
Japanese fans will be familiar with many of the events at the Olympic-like multi-sport competition when it is held in Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, but most are likely to be stumped by cricket.
That won’t stop them from taking an interest though, and now they have a purpose-built ground to welcome star teams such as India and Pakistan.
Korogi Sports Park, a converted baseball field that still has a pitcher’s mound just beyond the boundary, is about a 40-minute train ride from central Nagoya.
It is currently warming up for the Asian Games by hosting its first cricket event, the East Asia-Pacific qualifiers for the 2028 men’s T20 World Cup.
The qualifiers feature Japan and fellow cricket minnows Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Cook Islands and South Korea.
Local resident Yuya Okimasu, who watched Japan play Vanuatu with his wife and two young children, told AFP that they had only heard of cricket because his daughter watched the Australian cartoon “Bluey”.
“I’m looking at the rules as I’m watching the game because I don’t understand it, but it looks fun,” said the 34-year-old, who was attending his first cricket match.
Bouncy pitch
About 300 people turned up to watch Japan’s opening game on a windy weekend morning, most sitting on deck chairs within earshot of a commentator guiding them through the basics of the game.
Temporary stands will be in place at the Asian Games, taking the capacity up to around 2,000.
While the continent’s star players may be used to grander surroundings, they are unlikely to be disappointed by the quality of the pitch.
That is the responsibility of Asitha Wijayasinghe, who also curates the pitch at the 35,000-capacity Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka.
Adam Birss, Korogi Sports Park’s Asian Games operations manager, says the pitch is likely to be “bouncy”, despite typhoon season usually arriving in Japan in September.
“I would say that it should act like the pitches in Pakistan, which are bouncy but also take spin,” he said.
“It’s got a grippy surface, so if you put spin on the ball, it will spin off.”
Korogi Sports Park is part of an ambitious strategy to popularise cricket in baseball-mad Japan, which world governing body the ICC sees as one of its “priority countries”.
Playing numbers are on the rise, and the Japan Cricket Association (JCA) has had some success in carving out a tentative foothold for the sport in and around Tokyo.
Cricket’s inclusion in the Asian Games was only confirmed in April last year, and the JCA argued unsuccessfully that it should be played in Sano, a hotbed for the sport about 100km (60 miles) outside the capital.
‘Vacuum area’
JCA chief executive officer Naoki Alex Miyaji says Nagoya is “a huge vacuum area for cricket” and he worries that there might not be enough time to drum up interest there.
“Creating something here with the Asian Games is an ideal situation, but not when you’re talking with 15 months’ preparation,” he said.
Miyaji is also concerned about the long-term future of Korogi Sports Park, which will be shared with baseball teams when the Asian Games are over.
The question of who maintains the pitch is another unresolved issue, but Miyaji hopes the venue can be “one of the key ingredients of the growth of cricket in Japan”.
The local mayor has been an enthusiastic supporter, and there is certainly interest among those who venture along to watch Japan’s game against Vanuatu.
The Japanese players do their bit, beating their opponents by 30 runs.
With only four months to go until the Asian Games begin, Japan’s players are hoping the buzz continues.
“The ground looks in incredible condition given that they only started building it a few months ago,” said Japan captain Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming.
“Excitement is the overwhelming emotion that we’re feeling about it.”
Former Pakistan captain and all-rounder Shahid Afridi has been conferred Hilal-e-Imtiaz, the country’s second-highest civilian award, in recognition his outstanding services in the field of sports.
The award was conferred by President Asif Ali Zardari during a prestigious ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadr. Afridi was recognised for guiding Pakistan to their historic 2009 T20 World Cup triumph.
The honour also acknowledged Afridi’s contributions to England’s county cricket and his leadership role in the World Championship of Legends.
After receiving the award, Afridi wrote on X that receiving the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz from the president is an honour for him, adding that it represents not only his achievement but that of the entire Pakistani nation.
The former Pakistan captain said the award reflected the love, prayers and support he had received from the public throughout his career.
Afridi dedicated the honour to Pakistan’s martyrs, saying it was also in recognition of those who sacrificed their lives for the country.
He concluded by praying for Pakistan’s continued safety and prosperity.
The 46-year-old made exceptional contributions to Pakistan cricket across all formats, having played 398 ODIs and scored 8,064 runs, including 39 half-centuries and six centuries, while also claiming 395 wickets with nine five-wicket hauls.
In the T20I format, the right-handed batter featured in 99 matches, scoring 1,416 runs and taking 98 wickets.
Afridi also enjoyed vast experience in franchise cricket, representing teams in the Pakistan Super League, Lanka Premier League, Bangladesh Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, Champions League Twenty20, Big Bash League and Indian Premier League.
He was a key member of Pakistan’s squad that won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, where they defeated Sri Lanka national cricket team in the final courtesy of Afridi’s all-round performance.
He scored an unbeaten 54 off 40 deliveries, including two fours and two sixes, and also claimed one wicket.
Sports
Cherie DeVaux reflects on making Kentucky Derby history as first female trainer to win the race
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Cherie DeVaux made history when Golden Tempo won the Kentucky Derby at the beginning of May, becoming the first female trainer to win the first leg of the Triple Crown.
DeVaux, 44, said that while she never made her gender part of her identity as a horse trainer, it was the one thing she wanted to do as a female.
“It was the one thing as a female I wanted to do just cause I thought it would be – it’s a neat benchmark. There are 151 runnings with all men, and then it’s me,” DeVaux told Fox News Digital in a recent interview.
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Cherie DeVaux, trainer of Golden Tempo, celebrates with the trophy in the winner’s circle after the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 2, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
“I have never made a stand that my gender was part of my identity as a trainer. I am a horse trainer. We all work really hard, male, female. So it wasn’t on the heels of being a female.”
For DeVaux, she was happy that the conversation about a female winning the Kentucky Derby could finally move on.
“I actually was getting a bit – I don’t want to say tired in a bad way, but that question kept coming up, and it’s like it’s time for the conversation to move on from it is how I felt. I quipped in the post-Derby interview, ‘Thank God I don’t have to answer that question anymore,’” DeVaux said.
The Saratoga Springs, New York, native, said that it’s an honor to be someone that people look up to.
“It’s an honor. And I hold great respect with the fact that I am somebody now that people, women, men, people look up to. That’s something that I don’t lose sight of, and I’m just out doing my thing, and if that can inspire somebody else, it’s a bonus on top,” DeVaux said.
“I’ve always felt like we need to be doing – we train horses, but we can reach the community, or others, just by doing what we’re doing and conducting yourself, holding yourself accountable and to a higher standard.”
GOLDEN TEMPO TO SKIP PREAKNESS STAKES, ENDING TRIPLE CROWN BID AS TRAINER CITES LONG-TERM HEALTH
Trainer Cherie DeVaux kisses the trophy after Golden Tempo won the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
DeVaux, about a week and a half removed from the Kentucky Derby win, said that things are finally starting to settle down.
“It’s been overwhelming in a really amazing way,” DeVaux said. “Been busy, doing a lot more extracurriculars other than running our stable, which I keep joking that when a league wins a championship, they go to Disney World, and we continue to have a lot of horses to train. So, things are starting to quiet down a little bit and getting back to the enjoyment of working with our horses and training the rest of the stable.”
Going into the race, Golden Tempo was 23-1 to win the Kentucky Derby. DeVaux said she felt good about Golden Tempo but was tempering her expectations.
“I felt that Golden Tempo was going to run a really good race. We targeted the race. We had a plan with him. He checked all the boxes. He got to the race in great order, but realistically, it’s the derby. And it’s our first trip to the derby, and there’s a lot of horses in it. It’s not a very good chance you’re going to win, right?” DeVaux said.
“So, just realistic expectations that I put on the whole situation was let’s have fun. Hopefully, Golden Tempo runs a really good race. He comes with a run and we’re going to be happy with that.”
JORDON HUDSON, BILL BELICHICK TAKE IN CHURCHILL DOWNS DURING KENTUCKY DERBY WEEKEND
Trainer Cherie DeVaux stands outside a barn after a workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on April 27, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP Photo)
Golden Tempo’s running style is described as a deep closer, which means that he comes up to the pack from way out of it. DeVaux said they have tried to use blinkers to get him more engaged in the beginning of the race, but it’s just not his style.
Golden Tempo stayed true to form during the Kentucky Derby, as he surged from the back and into the lead late. DeVaux was making sure he didn’t dig himself too deep of a hole with a slow start.
“Most of the race, I was just keeping an eye on him, seeing how the race is unfolding in front of him. And there was a fast pace and a lot of those horses have not shown the propensity to want to go a mile and a quarter. Golden Tempo came closing at a mile and 3/16 in the Louisiana Derby. So, we were very confident in his ability to handle that distance,” DeVaux said.
“When I picked him up, I had a feeling that he was going to make a really good run and have a good showing of himself, but had given himself so much to do. So, as he’s picking them off, and he’s coming, and he’s coming and then when he got to Renegade is when it was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this might be happening’ to he got his head in front, and you know, the rest is history as they say.”
“I blacked out the last part of it when he won because I just couldn’t believe that he won the race. Like it was just disbelief of I can’t believe that really just happened.”
THE SURPRISING COST OF RENTING A HORSE STALL AT CHURCHILL DOWNS DURING THE KENTUCKY DERBY
Jockey Jose L. Ortiz celebrates after riding Golden Tempo to victory in the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., on May 2, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP Photo)
Amid the chaos after winning, DeVaux said she hasn’t sat down and truly reflected on it all but has spent some time thinking about her journey into history.
“In brief moments, I find myself thinking about things that have happened in my life where I questioned my path, and it’s not just the path to me being a trainer. I was talking about something that happened in my late 20s with a relationship that went really badly, and I was telling my assistant actually about it. I thought if I could survive that, I can survive anything,” DeVaux said.
“I’ve had these moments along the way that I could have been discouraged, I could have left, and instead I just had the fortitude to push forward.”
The fortitude to push forward has indirectly led to her Instagram messages being flooded with congratulations.
“There have been a lot and still muddling through the inbox,” DeVaux said. “I didn’t realize how many messages you can really get on Instagram. Flavor Flav is the one that was jarring to me a little bit when he saw I was in New York, like ‘hey we have an event’ which my little ’90s child in me was thinking that was pretty cool.”
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Cherie DeVaux celebrates after becoming the first female trainer to win the Kentucky Derby during the 152nd running at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 2, 2026. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
For DeVaux, she never thought she would be here.
“I’ve been overwhelmed really with like the reaction videos of just Golden Tempo running, my reaction being a woman and you know that’s just something I never would have thought would have touched anybody,” DeVaux said.
“I’m just doing my thing, cheering my horse on.”
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Sports
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announces another NJ Transit World Cup ticket cut days after first reduction
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Just days after NJ Transit reduced 2026 FIFA World Cup train ticket prices after backlash, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced yet another cut.
Last week, the round-trip tickets from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey were cut from the initial cost of $150 to $105.
Now, Sherrill announced the tickets have gone down to $98 round-trip ahead of them going on sale Tuesday night.
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Gov. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., narrowly carried Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s battleground district in 2025. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
“Good news: Ahead of NJ TRANSIT World Cup train tickets going on sale tonight, @NJTRANSIT is lowering ticket prices to $98 without New Jersey taxpayer money,” Sherrill wrote on X.
“Thank you to our partners — DoorDash, Audible, FanDuel, DraftKings, PSE&G, South Jersey Industries, and American Water — for helping make this possible.
“We’re excited to host a world-class event this summer and showcase New Jersey on a global stage.”
NJ Transit and the FIFA New York New Jersey Host Committee caught flak after the originally announced $150 price of the round-trip tickets. Their argument was it would eventually cost taxpayers if they didn’t have that abnormal price set for the influx of those getting to MetLife Stadium from New York City.
Then, NJ Transit announced last week it received monetary support from “sponsors and other sources” in able to get prices lowered. Now we know those sponsors after Sherrill’s statement on social media.
Sherrill and FIFA got into a spat after the $150 price came out as well. The governor said FIFA should help pay for train tickets, while the governing body criticized Sherrill’s “unprecedented” plan and added that the expensive train tickets would have a “chilling effect” on the fan experience.
Transit officials are preparing for an unprecedented number of riders during World Cup matches this summer. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
“Governor Sherrill has been clear that FIFA should contribute to transport its fans to World Cup games. Since it hasn’t, she directed NJ Transit to seek private and non-taxpayer dollars to significantly reduce the fare,” a spokesperson for Sherrill told The Athletic. “The Governor appreciates all the companies that have already stepped up to lower the costs for ticket holders. She will continue to ensure the World Cup is an experience that benefits fans and all New Jerseyans.”
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri defended the original price, saying the ultimate cost to the public transportation company shouldn’t burden New Jersey commuters.
“It is an exciting moment for New Jersey to showcase New Jersey’s diversity as well as its economic standing in the country and in the world. Equally important, (Sherrill) has said that New Jersey commuters cannot and will not subsidize the movement of fans going to the game, because that would not be fair,” Kolluri said, reiterating that the tournament will cost NJ Transit $48 million.
“In order to move 40,000 people and to pay for the cost of $6 million (per game), we have to charge $150.”
The regular train fare from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium round-trip is $12.90.
Commuters move through the NJ Transit section of Penn Station in New York City on May 20, 2025, after NJ Transit resumed operations following a tentative deal to end a three-day strike by train engineers. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, parking has been prohibited at MetLife Stadium, and ride-sharing will be limited, ultimately leading to a natural increase in NJ Transit commutes for World Cup matches.
The first game at MetLife Stadium is June 13 with a group stage match between Brazil and Morocco.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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