According to Japanese national coach, Glenn Carter, his team's apprenticeship is over.

With nine members of his squad for next month's Asian Cricket Council Trophy in the United Arab Emirates having also played in the tournament's 1998 edition, Carter says it is time the Japanese team played to win.

"In the past Japan has gone to the ACC Trophy with an image of being nice boys turning up to learn about the game. One thing that will be noticeable about this year's squad is a change of attitude," Carter explained.

"The players now go out onto the field not just to be competitive but to genuinely expect to win every game. In the past people were too ready to make excuses for the team based on their lack of experience etc."

He said the five new caps in the team would not be 'learning on the job.' "They are all natural cricketers who have experience playing with and against the expats. Not just as fill ins but as key players. There is no-one in this squad going along simply because some other more qualified players were not available."

Japan is in Group B along side the United Arab Emirates, Nepal and the Maldives while international debutantes, Kuwait, share Group A with Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Carter said the team had been instructed to concentrate less on style than playing competitive cricket.

"Previously, Japanese batsmen have over concerned themselves with looking good and playing technically correct cricket..... what I expect to see this time is the players taking advantage of every short, wide or over pitched ball regardless of whether it's the first or last ball of the innings."

He added Japan would be an improved side in practical cricketing terms.

"The bowling attack will have more variation this time around and the skipper will have a number of different plans for the use of his bowling attack."

He cited Nanki Miyaji as a Japanese bowler to watch. "Young, strong and aggressive, he hits the wicket hard. He had a few of the expats shuffling in the crease in a recent game."

With humidity in the UAE typically hovering around 70% or more, the Japanese bowlers may be assisted.

"If the conditions are humid then people like Tomohiro Amino and Ken Wadano should do well and I expect Kazuhisa Orita with his simple style and extra height to be economic. On a good day, he hits the seam regularly. Spinner, Naoaki Saida, has worked on his variation and could be a surprise if the wickets are turning."

Some of the Japanese batsmen, such as Hirokazu 'Junior' Takahashi, arguably Japan's best known cricketer, have benefitted from overseas club experience, while most of the top order are backing up from Nepal '98.

Opener Takeshi Kawashima, making his international debut in the UAE, is another Carter said could stand out.

"Kawashima is young and inexperienced but has shown himself to be a fearless opener who can punish bad balls while playing in the expats competition this year."

Cricket in Japan has two main competitions, the Gunma Cup, for indigenous Japanese, and the Kanto Cup, the main expatriate competition. To improve the standard of Japanese cricket, an indigenous team plays in the Kanto Cup.

Although Japan has beaten Nepal previously in 1996, it is its opening clash against the Maldives on Day Two which possibly provides its best opportunity for a second ever win in the tournament.

The Maldivians, who go into their third ACC Trophy having never won a game, have recently benefitted from a four match tour to their cricketing parent-state, Sri Lanka. It was vital match practice for the Maldivians, whose opportunities to play 'internationals' outside the ACC Trophy are limited.

Maldives Cricket Association Development Officer, Imad Ismail, said his team's strengths and weaknesses were easy to define.

"Our bowling was okay [on the tour], but we found we need more batting. We need to play more matches and learn how to make one run into two runs."

The Maldives, where cricket is very much a secondary sport, has had to leave three of its most senior players at home for Sharjah and Dubai due to their unavailability for the Sri Lankan tour due to employment. Another two of its best players cannot make the trip due to injury, partly because the Maldives does not have a specialist in sports medicine.

And the government employees in the team have been unable to attend morning training due to 7am starts in the Maldivian public service.

Despite this, the squad is a mixture of youth and experience. The average age is 28 and seven members played in the 1998 ACC Trophy in Kathmandu.

More optimistic was Kuwait's national captain, Taher Bastaki. He and his brother, Mehmood, are the only Kuwaitis in the squad, not surprising in a country where nearly 1,160,000, out of Kuwait's population of over 1,970,000 are considered to be non-nationals.

"We have played in a six nation [domestic] tournament against expatriate teams purposely in preparation for this (ACC Trophy tournament) and we have beaten England and Bangladesh," Taher said.

"Inshullah, we can give a very good account of ourselves. We are all set to give a very good display at our debut."

Taher said while the Kuwaiti squad was strong in its fielding, the batsmen would need to adjust from the matting of Kuwait to the turf wickets of Dubai.

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