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Indonesia will meet Thailand, the Philippines and Japan in a B-level qualifying round for the Asian Championship in Tokyo, with the winner advancing to the A-level. (Photo courtesy of Perbasasi)

Asian Cup Cinderella Looks to Continue Its Fairy-Tale Ride in Japan

While still riding the euphoria of its recent Asian Cup success, the national baseball team needs to remember one thing: Sapporo is a different field entirely.

Indonesia defeated Pakistan 3-2 last week in Bangkok, and walked away with the Asian Cup. Its reward? A place in the Asian Championship in Japan from July 31 to Aug.4.

The country will play Thailand, the Philippines and the hosts in a B-level qualifying round in Tokyo, with the winner advancing to the A-level in Sapporo, where China, Taiwan and South Korea await.

Kazuto Nonaka, Indonesia’s Japanese coach, played down his team’s chances.

“It’ll be hard to get past this round because of Japan,” he said.

The country hopes to finish in the top six, which would give the team an automatic berth in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. “If we can beat Thailand or the Philippines, [reaching the top six] is definitely possible,” Nonaka said.

Its Asian Cup victory propelled Indonesia to No. 7 in the continental rankings.

Indonesia should be mindful of history, however. Thailand and the Philippines were Indonesia’s toughest rivals at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games. Host Thailand took gold, while the Philippines finished second. Indonesia settled for the bronze after losing 7-6 to the Philippines in the semifinals.

The national squad will have just a month to train for the Asian Championship, and Nonaka said he would select only the best players for his squad.

Nonaka also suggested to the Indonesian Amateur Baseball and Softball Federation (Perbasasi) that the team fly to Japan at least a week before the tournament to acclimate itself.

National pitcher Syaiful Noer said the team had already quieted skeptics, but that a little more pep in the bats wouldn’t hurt.

“We just have to go all out and play our best against Thailand and the Philippines,” he said. “If we can achieve that, it’ll be a big leap for our team.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan won’t be joining Indonesia in the Asian Championship after the International Baseball Federation changed a ruling that would have sent the top two finishers in the Asian Cup to the Japan tournament.

“The federation has changed its rule and applied a new one, where only the Asian Cup winner will play in Japan,” Nonaka said.

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