Japan Cricket CEO Says Asian Games Teams Can Book Own Hotels After India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka Raise Complaints

Cricket returns to the Asian Games this month at a venue that didn't exist until March. Since Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Prakash Schaffter flagged the problems at an Asian Cricket Council executive committee meeting in Bangkok, the complaints have piled up fast, and Japan's cricket federation has spent the past several days trying to knock them down one by one.

The cricket competition is scheduled to run from September 19 to October 4 as part of the broader Asian Games, which open September 17, according to Hindustan Times. Matches will be played at the Nisshin Cricket Ground inside Korogi Sports Park in Aichi Prefecture, a facility converted from a baseball ground and finished only in March, per Hindustan Times.

What Sri Lanka Flagged

Schaffter told reporters in Colombo that ACC member boards discussed the Asian Games "with some degree of detail" at the Bangkok meeting, according to Dawn. His specific complaint: no five-star hotel rooms.

"There is a lack of available five-star rooms. Cricketers are generally provided with five-star accommodation," Schaffter said, according to Dawn, adding that the host city simply doesn't have enough luxury hotels for athletes and spectators.

Other reports circulating among the boards described tents serving as dressing rooms and washroom facilities located as far as half a kilometer from the playing area, according to Dawn and Hindustan Times. Member states agreed to send representatives to inspect the ground and logistics in person, Schaffter said, while still hoping the tournament goes ahead as planned.

Japan's Response

Japan Cricket Association CEO Naoki Alex Miyaji pushed back on the specifics in comments carried by PTI and republished across multiple outlets including Times of India, Cricinfo, Rediff and Yard Barker. Miyaji said the designated hotel is roughly 20 kilometers from the venue, but teams don't have to use it.

"The participating teams in cricket are being offered hotel accommodation," Miyaji said. "The teams are free to arrange their own accommodation if they chose to do so."

He also drew a comparison to other Asian Games disciplines. "Many other sports are being accommodated in much more limited facilities such as a cruise ship or container hotels," he said.

On the toilet rumors, Miyaji was direct: "Please note that toilets will be available within the player area. There are both temporary and permanent facilities at the venue." He acknowledged the dressing rooms are temporary but said they'll be "as comfortable a space as possible for the players and officials," with permanent facilities also on site.

Miyaji stressed his organization isn't running the show. The Games are organized by the Aichi-Nagoya Games Organizing Committee, working with the ACC under the Olympic Council of Asia. "The JCA has provided support in some areas but is not directly involved so I am not able to directly answer all of your questions," he said.

The 17-Month Build

Miyaji's central defense is timeline. Aichi Prefecture had no cricket venue of any standard before this project started, and organizers had 17 months to build one from nothing, he said. Sri Lanka Cricket supplied curators to prepare the turf and hybrid pitches, according to Rediff and Hindustan Times.

The ground isn't entirely unproven. It hosted matches during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier earlier this year, giving organizers a live test run before the Asian Games, according to Hindustan Times.

The Concern, Stated Fairly

Schaffter's complaint isn't unreasonable on its face. International cricketers are typically housed in five-star hotels close to the ground, and a facility built in 17 months in a region with zero cricket infrastructure was always going to strain that standard. Boards flagging it before a continental tournament, rather than after players show up to find tents and long walks to a bathroom, is basic due diligence, not manufactured outrage.

But Miyaji's counter matters too. Cricket teams are getting hotel rooms and the freedom to book elsewhere if they want better ones. Athletes in other Asian Games sports are stuck on cruise ships and in container housing. Judged against that baseline, cricket isn't getting the short end.

What Comes Next

Despite the reported unhappiness, India has not scaled back. The Board of Control for Cricket in India named a 15-member squad led by Shreyas Iyer, including 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, according to Dawn, contradicting earlier Indian media reports that the BCCI was considering a second-string team.

Bangladesh Cricket Board's cricket operations manager Shahriar Nafees said member boards raised the issue at the ACC forum and will make a "collective decision," according to Dawn. The ACC's on-ground inspection of the venue and hotel logistics, agreed to at the Bangkok meeting, has not yet happened as of today. Whether that inspection produces changes before the September 19 cricket opener remains the open question.