Are Asian Games 2026 Cricket Facilities Up To The Mark? India, Pakistan Raise Concerns Over Japan Setup

Cricket’s arrangements for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 have come under scrutiny, with concerns emerging over both the playing venue and accommodation being provided to teams in Japan.

According to a Cricbuzz report, the issue was discussed during a recent Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Bangkok, with the major cricketing nations understood to have expressed reservations about the facilities.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are among the countries whose concerns were reportedly discussed at the meeting.

The accommodation arrangements have emerged as one of the biggest issues. According to Cricbuzz sources, teams have been offered three options, staying in the city and travelling to the venue by bullet train, living aboard a ship anchored near the venue, or using marquee-style tent accommodation.

The options have reportedly not convinced the leading teams, particularly because of concerns over room sizes. Cricbuzz reported that there are doubts over whether two players would be able to comfortably share the rooms while also storing their cricket kits and luggage.

The men's competition will feature 10 teams, while eight sides are expected to participate in the women's event. The concerns are particularly significant for the Test-playing nations, with several established international players expected to represent their countries at the Games.

There are also questions over the timing of the ACC's intervention. According to Cricbuzz, some members believe the continental body may have acted later than it should have on the accommodation issue.

Other sports governing bodies are understood to have arranged accommodation for their participating teams considerably earlier.

The cricket venue has added to the uncertainty. The facility in Nisshin City was developed for the Asian Games, but Cricbuzz reported that it is a makeshift venue without proper dressing-room facilities, raising questions about its readiness to host a tournament involving Asia's leading teams.

ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta recently indicated that work was still continuing at the venue. In a social media update, Gupta said the ground was almost ready but acknowledged that further work was required before it could host the participating teams, match officials and spectators.

The Asian Games website describes the facility as a sports park in Nisshin City where a cricket ground was developed specifically for the Games.

It also states that the venue is the second facility in Japan to feature a natural-grass pitch meeting the requirements for international competitions. Japan hosted an ICC pathway tournament at the ground in May.

An ACC member told Cricbuzz that the continental body would send a team to Japan to inspect the facilities. However, the member also indicated that there was a perception that the inspection may be happening too late, given how close the tournament is.

The matter has also been discussed in India. Sources within the BCCI and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) told Cricbuzz that the arrangements had been considered and that a member of the BCCI operations team was expected to travel to Japan to assess the facilities.

However, according to the Cricbuzz report, there was no confirmation that the BCCI official had actually travelled to Japan. The official had reportedly not made the trip as of early this week.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the facilities, India is currently set to field full-strength men's and women's teams at the Asian Games. Shreyas Iyer and Harmanpreet Kaur are expected to lead the respective sides.

There has been speculation that India could send 'B' teams because of the concerns surrounding the facilities. However, according to Cricbuzz, no such decision had been taken at the time of publication. Officials believe it is now too late to make significant changes to the squads unless injuries force replacements.

Jemimah Rodrigues is one such case, with the India women's team already making an injury-related change by replacing her with Pratika Rawal.

The cricket competitions at the Asian Games will be played in the T20 format. The matches are scheduled to begin on September 17, two days before the official opening of the Games on September 19.

The women's final is scheduled for September 22, while the men's gold-medal match will be played on October 3. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will officially run from September 19 to October 4.