The India vs Sri Lanka Asian Games semi-final is on, and so is Pakistan vs Bangladesh, even though none of the four teams bowled a single ball in the knockout round. Rain in Nisshin, Japan wiped out all four men’s cricket quarter-finals across Monday and Tuesday, and each tie went to the higher seed.
On Tuesday, September 29, Sri Lanka’s quarter-final against Nepal was called off at 8:20am local time with the ground unplayable, CricTracker reported. Bangladesh vs Malaysia, due at 2pm, was abandoned too, according to ESPNcricinfo’s match report. That followed Monday’s washouts of Pakistan vs Hong Kong and India vs Afghanistan, which we covered in India vs Afghanistan Asian Games quarter-final washed out.
Asian Games cricket quarter-finals: four games, zero balls
| Quarter-final | Date (JST) | Result | Through |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong vs Pakistan | Sep 28, 9am | Abandoned, no toss | Pakistan |
| Afghanistan vs India | Sep 28, 2pm | Abandoned, no toss | India |
| Nepal vs Sri Lanka | Sep 29, 9am | Abandoned, no toss | Sri Lanka |
| Bangladesh vs Malaysia | Sep 29, 2pm | Abandoned, no toss | Bangladesh |
Source: tournament bracket on Wikipedia, cross checked with ESPNcricinfo and CricTracker reports.
The four sides who went home never lost a knockout game. Nepal are the hardest luck story. They reached the quarter-finals unbeaten after beating Afghanistan in the group stage and having their game against Japan rained off, then went out on ranking without taking the field.
How the seeding rule decided every tie
For casual fans, here is why a washout does not mean a replay. The Asian Games cricket event seeds teams using the ICC men’s T20I team rankings as they stood on July 23, 2026. The four highest seeds got byes straight into the quarter-finals, while the six lowest seeds played two groups of three from September 24 to 26 to fill the other four places.
When a knockout game produces no result, the higher seed goes through. Sri Lanka sit ninth in the T20I rankings and Nepal 14th, so Sri Lanka advanced, CricTracker and ESPNcricinfo both noted. With no contingency built into the schedule, Pakistan and India had already gone through the same way on Monday, the Express Tribune reported.
It has happened before: the 2023 precedent
This is not the first time rain has shaped the men’s cricket medals at an Asian Games. In Hangzhou in 2023, the gold medal match between India and Afghanistan was abandoned with Afghanistan on 112 for 5 after 18.2 overs, and India took gold as the higher seed.
The bronze in 2023 also came down to the weather. Bangladesh beat Pakistan in a rain shortened play-off on October 7, 2023, chasing a DLS target of 65 in five overs and winning with a four off the last ball from Rakibul Hasan, according to ESPNcricinfo. Thursday’s first semi-final is a rematch of that game.
Asian Games cricket semi-final schedule and start times
Both semi-finals are on Thursday, October 1 at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture. Times below are converted from Japan Standard Time.
| Match | JST | IST / Sri Lanka | PKT | UK (BST) | US (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-final 1: Bangladesh vs Pakistan | 9am Oct 1 | 5:30am Oct 1 | 5am Oct 1 | 1am Oct 1 | 8pm Sep 30 |
| Semi-final 2: India vs Sri Lanka | 2pm Oct 1 | 10:30am Oct 1 | 10am Oct 1 | 6am Oct 1 | 1am Oct 1 |
| Bronze medal match | 9am Oct 3 | 5:30am Oct 3 | 5am Oct 3 | 1am Oct 3 | 8pm Oct 2 |
| Gold medal match | 2pm Oct 3 | 10:30am Oct 3 | 10am Oct 3 | 6am Oct 3 | 1am Oct 3 |
India are the defending champions after that 2023 gold. Sri Lanka now get a shot at them with a place in the final at stake, while Pakistan and Bangladesh meet again after Hangzhou. If the weather finally relents, Nisshin could get the knockout cricket it has been waiting for.
Sources
- ICC: Semi-finalists confirmed at Asian Games competition
- ESPNcricinfo: Sri Lanka to face India in semi-finals after washout
- ESPNcricinfo: Bangladesh to take on Pakistan in semis after another washout
- CricTracker: Sri Lanka into semis after washout vs Nepal
- Express Tribune: Rain hit Asian Games battles scheduling logjam
- Wikipedia: Cricket at the 2026 Asian Games, men’s tournament
- ESPNcricinfo: Rakibul’s last ball four seals 2023 bronze for Bangladesh
