India, Pakistan unhappy with Japan's Asian Games cricket facilities; ACC under scanner for delayed response
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Cricket at Asian Games India, Pakistan unhappy with accommodation, venue Photograph: (Others)
India, Pakistan, and top Asian cricket boards have raised concerns over poor accommodation and makeshift venue arrangements for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, with the ACC facing heat over delayed inspections.
Asian cricket giants, including India and Pakistan, are unhappy with the cricketing facilities provided for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 in Japan, with the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) facing heat for a delayed inspection. Accommodations and venues have come under scrutiny, with top nations expressing reservations ahead of the competition. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan have also joined India and Pakistan in voicing concerns.
A Cricbuzz report claims that this issue was raised during the concluded ACC meeting in Bangkok, where accommodation arrangements have emerged as one of the biggest issues. The Asian Games organisers have offered three options to the travelling entourages: stay in the cities and travel to the venues via bullet train, live on a ship anchored near the venue, or use marquee-style tent accommodation.
The options, however, have reportedly been unconvincing for the leading teams, mainly because of the room sizes. It’s also because there are doubts over whether two players, along with their cricket kits and luggage, could be comfortably accommodated in the same room.
The Asian Games cricket competition will feature both men’s and women’s events, with 10 teams representing men’s divisions and eight in women’s. The concerns are particularly significant for the Test-playing nations, with several established stars representing their countries at the Games.
ACC Late to Respond
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Besides the room-size issue, questions were also raised over the ACC’s response timing. The Cricbuzz report states that some board members believe the continental body has acted later than it should have on the accommodation issue. Meanwhile, other sports governing bodies have arranged accommodation for their participating teams considerably earlier.
Moreover, the cricket venue in Nisshin City has raised uncertainty. The facility, which was reported to be a makeshift venue without a proper dressing room, raised questions about its readiness to host a tournament involving top Asian teams.
Meanwhile, ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta has indicated that work was continuing at the venue, and that the ground was almost ready; however, more work was required before it could host the participating teams, spectators and match officials.
An ACC member has also confirmed to the publication that the continental body would send a team to Japan to inspect the facilities. This matter has also been discussed within the BCCI and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), which stated that a member of the BCCI’s operations team was expected to travel to Japan to assess the situation.
However, despite all uncertainties, both Shreyas Iyer and Harmanpreet Kaur are set to field full-strength teams for the cricket competition at the Asian Games.
Cricket at the Asian Games will be played in the T20 format, and the matches are scheduled to begin on September 17 – two days before the opening ceremony on September 19.
The women’s gold medal match is scheduled for September 22, while the men’s final will take place on October 3.
