Nisshin: Bangladesh and Sri Lanka advanced to the men’s cricket semifinals at the Asian Games 2026 without playing a single ball after rain washed out their respective quarterfinals in Nisshin on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka were scheduled to face Nepal in the first quarterfinal of the day, but persistent rain and adverse playing conditions prevented the match from getting underway. The quarterfinal was eventually abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Bangladesh suffered a similar fate in their last-eight clash against Malaysia. The match, scheduled for the afternoon at Korogi Sports Park, was called off without a toss after incessant rain continued to affect the venue.
With no reserve time available to complete the quarterfinals, the higher-ranked teams progressed to the next stage according to the tournament’s qualification criteria.
As a result, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh secured places in the Asian Games cricket semifinals, while Nepal and Malaysia were eliminated from the competition.
Sri Lanka will now face India in one semifinal, while Pakistan will take on Bangladesh in the other. Both semifinals are scheduled to be played on Thursday, October 1.
The weather-hit quarterfinals mean that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will enter the semifinals without having played a knockout match, while India and Pakistan will also be looking to secure places in the gold-medal contest.
The Asian Games cricket competition has attracted considerable attention as several leading Asian cricket nations compete for medals in the T20 format.
