An untested hybrid surface, laid only recently. A lack of proper dressing rooms. And hotel rooms so tiny that there “might not be any space to keep a kitbag.”
In about three weeks, Nisshin, a small city east of the Japanese port hub Nagoya, will welcome some of the continent’s best cricketers, including a star-studded Indian side featuring Jasprit Bumrah and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, led by Shreyas Iyer, for the Asian Games. The opening ceremony is on September 19, and the cricket tournament begins on September 17.
The continent’s top teams, though, have expressed concerns over the makeshift facility, which was a baseball ground until a few months ago. The Indian Express has learnt that the Pakistan Cricket Board first flagged these concerns during an Asian Cricket Council meeting a little more than a fortnight ago.
Following deliberations between members, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, among others, it has been decided that the ACC will send representatives for a recce of the venue and the players’ accommodation.
“It is a very rudimentary ground, and there remains a question mark over the quality of the pitch. It has been laid very recently and, apart from one tournament, that too in May, hasn’t been tested much. There are no proper dressing rooms as well,” a source told The Indian Express.
Following the feedback at the meeting, it is learnt that the BCCI approached the Indian Olympic Association and the Organising Committee of the Asian Games. An IOA official said: “Since we do not have any role in the technical aspects of a sport, we have advised the BCCI to consult the Organising Committee.” The Asian Games organisers did not respond to questions sent by email.
Cricket at the Asian Games will be played at Korogi Sports Park, a remodelled baseball facility that still retains a pitcher’s mound. The venue was made cricket-ready only in March this year.
The ground, with temporary stands that can hold around 2,000 people, has a hybrid pitch square, mostly natural grass with a small portion of polyethylene fibres inserted into the surface.
The park hosted the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in May. Adam Birss, Korogi Sports Park’s Asian Games operations manager, told AFP at the time that the pitch was likely to be “bouncy, despite typhoon season usually arriving in Japan in September.”
The cricket boards have also raised concerns over players’ accommodation, in Nagoya, roughly 20km from the venue.
Unlike previous Games, the Aichi-Nagoya edition will not have a conventional Athletes’ Village. Instead, the roughly 15,000 participants will be split across three types of accommodation, a luxury cruise liner, Games Villas, and hotels.
Shuttlers, cricketers, footballers and softball players will be lodged at hotels in Nagoya, according to the Olympic Council of Asia.
An official said the room sizes are believed to be “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,” the official said.
It is learnt that the Indian cricket teams will fly to Nagoya around September 14 or 15. The women’s competition begins on September 17, with Harmanpreet Kaur-led India opening their campaign against hosts Japan.
The men’s team is likely to play practice matches against two club sides, and another against Japan, to acclimatise before their own competition begins on September 28. India have received a bye to the quarterfinal stage.