NISHIN: India secured a spot in the semifinals of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket event without playing their quarterfinal match against Afghanistan after persistent rain washed out the fixture in Nishin on Monday.
Unrelenting downpours rendered the field unplayable at the Kuroji Sports Park, forcing officials to call off the match without even conducting the toss.
Under tournament regulations, in the event of a washout during the knockout stages, the higher-seeded team automatically advances to the next round. India, directly seeded into the quarterfinals based on their superior ICC T20I ranking, progressed ahead of Afghanistan, who had reached the quarterfinal stage after finishing second in Group A.
Defending champions India are scheduled to play their semifinal on Oct. 1 against the winner of the quarterfinal clash between Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Earlier, a similar fate met the quarterfinal between Pakistan and Hong Kong, which was also abandoned due to heavy rain. Higher-ranked Pakistan advanced directly to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the Bangladesh vs. Malaysia match on Oct. 1.
