From baseball to cricket: Asian Games venue sparks fresh concerns

Once a baseball ground in Japan is being transformed into a cricket venue for the upcoming Asian Games, concerns are mounting over the pitch, facilities, weather, and accommodation arrangements for participating teams.

The cricket competition will be held at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, east of Nagoya. The venue was still being used as a baseball field just months ago before being converted for cricket in March.

The ground will feature a hybrid pitch made mostly of natural grass with a small amount of polyethylene fibre. With the surface still relatively new, questions remain over how it will behave during the tournament. The first cricket match at the venue was played in May.

Adam Beers, operations manager for the Asian Games, told AFP in May that the pitch could offer considerable bounce. The timing of the tournament has also raised concerns, with Japan entering its typhoon season in September, potentially disrupting matches.

Questions have also been raised over the venue’s facilities. According to a report by The Indian Express, the ground lacks standard dressing rooms and has a spectator capacity of around 2,000. Remnants of its baseball past, including a pitcher’s mound, are still visible at the venue.

The Pakistan Cricket Board was reportedly the first to raise concerns about the venue during an Asian Cricket Council meeting around two weeks ago. Representatives from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan discussed the issue, after which the ACC decided to send a delegation to inspect the venue and players’ accommodation.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has also contacted organisers over the concerns. An official of the Indian Olympic Association told The Indian Express that the association does not directly handle technical sporting matters and advised the BCCI to communicate with the Asian Games organising committee.

Accommodation has emerged as another concern. The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will not have a conventional athletes’ village. Around 15,000 participants are expected to stay on cruise ships, in a Games village and at hotels across Nagoya.

Cricketers, badminton and football players, as well as softball teams, will be accommodated in different hotels. Some rooms are reportedly so small that storing two players’ kit bags and luggage could be difficult.

An Olympic Council of Asia official acknowledged the issue, saying some rooms leave little space to move around once a player opens a kit bag. Organisers are working on solutions, the official said.

Women’s cricket will run from September 17 to 22, beginning with the quarter-finals. The men’s tournament is scheduled for September 24 to October 1.

India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have direct entry into the men’s knockout stage, while Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and Oman will compete in the first round.

In the women’s quarter-finals, India will face Japan, Bangladesh will meet China, Sri Lanka will take on Malaysia and Pakistan will play Thailand.