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Only a few hours ago, full fixtures for cricket in the Asian Games 2026 were published, and red lights from several cricket governing bodies have been blinking ahead of the event opener. National cricket governing bodies across Asia have raised their concerns over the pitch and ground conditions and the basic facilities for the cricketers, like the dressing rooms and hotels.
Cricket in the upcoming Asian Games will be hosted from the mid of September with the women's cricket category. Men's cricket will start after the final match of the women's category. All of the matches in the Asian Games 2026 will be held at the Korogi Sports Park, which used to be a baseball ground which later remodelled into a cricket venue.
A baseball ground turned into a cricket ground for the Asian Games 2026
Viewers who know about baseball can still recognize the sport, connecting with the venue where a string of cricket matches will be played from the very next month. The centre of the ground is made of a combination of real and artificial grass. The stadium could hold around 2,000 people at one time.
It is reported that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) raised their concerns first over the conditions of the ground. The ground last hosted a cricket match back in May this year. hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in May. After that, the park remains mostly untouched. However, the organizers have assured that there will be a bouncy pitch during the multi-nation tournament.
"Bouncy, despite typhoon season usually arriving in Japan in September," Adam Birss, Korogi Sports Park’s Asian Games operations manager, told AFP when he was asked about the nature of the pitch.
The hotel rooms are reportedly too tiny for a cricketer with a kit
Alongside the ground conditions, concerns are over the players' accommodation as well. In that case, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) is reportedly very much concerned about it. It is claimed that the allotted hotel rooms are so tiny that there will be barely any space left when a player opens the kit bag.
The Indian Express reported that to resolve the hotel room matter, the board reached out to the Indian Olympic Association. But the Association could not do anything significant as it fell on a technical matter.
No separate village for the athletes in Asian Games 2026
Unlike arranging a separate village, participants will be split across three types of accommodation: a luxury cruise liner, Games Villas, and hotels. According to the Olympic Council of Asia, Shuttlers, cricketers, footballers and softball players will be lodged at hotels in Nagoya.
"Too small for two people to share, along with their individual kitbags and luggage... It is a genuine problem, since the rooms are very tiny. If one player opens a kitbag, there won’t be much space left to stand. We are trying to figure out a solution to this problem," an official told the Indian Express to describe the room sizes allotted for the cricketers.
