A tale of two sports: Declan McComb’s unlikely path to world cricket

At Cheltenham Football Netball Club, Declan McComb is simply “Dec’’. In Japan, he’s the “Tiger’’ of the national cricket team. Here he shares his unusual sporting tale.

When he's not playing cricket for Japan, Declan McComb plays footy for Cheltenham.

There was a good reason Declan McComb missed the first two months of the football season.

He was not injured. He was not ill. He was not unavailable because of work demands or personal commitments.

McComb, 22, was away playing cricket for Japan’s national team against Thailand and Cook Islands, his latest representative outings in a career that is up to 41 matches.

At Cheltenham Football Netball Club, where he is a two-time premiership player, McComb is simply “Dec’’.

On his Cricinfo profile, he is Declan Suzuki-McComb, reflecting his full name, Declan Tora Suzuki McComb. In Japan, he’s referred to as “Tora’’, which translates to “Tiger’’ in Japanese.

The bowling all-rounder was born in Australia, but his mother, Hanako, is Japanese and so he holds a Japanese passport.

Declan McComb sends one down for Japan.

It was through football that McComb started to represent a country with a population of 120 million.

McComb’s twin brother, Alec, played for a world team in an exhibition match on the Gold Coast in 2018.

“Through that he made a connection with another half-Japanese kid who played in the Under 19 cricket World Cup in South Africa,’’ McComb says.

“He explained that you just needed a passport to be eligible to play. Luckily, we found out that Cricket Victoria and Cricket Japan have a partnership. We got in touch to see how it could happen.’’

At the time, former Victorian player Simon Dart was coaching the Japanese team and was enthusiastic about the approach.

Covid put it hold.

But when the world returned to something like normality, McComb went to Japan for trials and training. He continued to play local cricket for Cheltenham.

Declan McComb getting inventive at the wicket.

He was picked for Japan’s Under 23 national squad, which he likens to the naming of a Southern league team of the year – no games to play but nice recognition.

Finally, under the coaching of Dart’s replacement, Dhugal Bedingfield, a former captain of Victorian Sub-District club Mt Waverley, he was selected for the men’s team.

“It was an amazing feeling,’’ he says. His mother and family were “super-proud’’.

McComb’s debut came in October, 2022, against Indonesia, and he contributed 14 and three tight overs in a 65-run victory.

Since then he’s played against South Korea, Philippines, Vanuatu, PNG, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Maldives, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, China and Mongolia, as well as Thailand and Cook Islands.

Owing to its world ranking of 42, Japan plays only Twenty20 matches. It is trying to win enough ranking points to qualify for 50-over games.

Declan McComb takes possession for Cheltenham. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Its team has a few other players who, like McComb, live in other countries.

But there are club competitions and McComb sees “so much potential’’ for the sport in Japan.

“Mostly Indians and expats from Australia and New Zealand play in the leagues, but there are a growing number of university students, ex-baseballers and homegrown Japanese cricketers filtering into the system.

“If we can make a World Cup, if would put Japan on the map and the popularity of cricket would skyrocket. It may take a while but that’s the vision we want to get to as an association.’’

McComb has developed a sense of attachment and affection for Japan.

“The positive side of being able to play for Japan is that I get to understand my heritage a little bit more. I guess you can say I do feel more Japanese than I used to and I love playing for the country. It’s an amazing honour to wear Japan colours.’’

And he can express it adequately.

“I speak enough Japanese. I’m not fluent, but enough,’’ he says.

Declan and Alec McComb, a Frankston VFL player.

Bedingfield – who been involved in the male, female and Under 19 teams since moving to Japan in 2019 – says McComb is a busy cricketer.

“You know you’ll get something out of him. If you pick him in an XI he’ll contribute with the bat or the ball, and he’s a gun fielder,’’ he says.

Rotating players, Japan left McComb out of a match. He went on to the ground as a sub-fielder and took a brilliant diving catch.

“That footy background helps him a lot with his fitness and general athleticism and game awareness,’’ Bedingfield says.

The football ability of the McComb twins was apparent when they played at school level for Mentone Grammar.

They started with Cheltenham’s seniors in 2021 and were in the losing 2022 grand final team.

But they were also part of the 2023 side that so thrillingly won the premiership with a last-quarter surge, the club’s first top-grade flag in many years. Another came last year.

Alec always preferred football to cricket and has progressed to Frankston’s VFL list (Cheltenham remains his home club).

Declan tried out for Sandringham’s VFL list. In his second pre-season with the Zebras, he was invited to train with the Japanese national team. He had to make a decision: football or cricket? He fished out his passport and packed his bags and his cricket kit.

“I thought I’d give cricket a real crack and maybe have the opportunity to travel around the world,’’ he says.

He’s done just; aside from Japan, he’s played in PNG, Thailand, Hong Kong and China.

Declan McComb is an all-rounder for the Japanese team.

McComb – now with Premier Cricket powerhouse St Kilda – says the standard of the cricket varies. PNG and Hong Kong are strong but the lower-ranked countries “drop off pretty quickly’’.

He has a highest score of 45 not out and best bowling figures of 3-37.

In October, McComb and his teammates will go to Oman for the Asian region qualifying tournament for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Japan will play nine teams.

“If we finish top-three we could make the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka,’’ McComb says.

“It would be amazing. But I’m not sure how I’d feel facing Mitch Starc and some of those boys!’’

Bedingfield says cricket is a minor sport in Japan, living in the shadows of baseball, soccer and basketball.

But he says the number of teams is crossing, helped by an influx of expats, and development and promotion to introduce youngsters to the game.

“Every year we seem to be getting a bit more press,’’ he says, adding that cricket’s addition to the Olympics had lifted funding.

McComb will resume playing football for Cheltenham shortly.

He is nursing a cricket injury: he broke a toe in the nets when facing the “wanger’’.

Originally published as A tale of two sports: Declan McComb’s unlikely path to world cricket