India And Pakistan Into Asian Games Semi-Finals After Washouts

India and Pakistan are through to the Asian Games men’s cricket semi-finals without either side taking the field. Both quarter-finals in Nisshin were abandoned on Monday after persistent rain, and the higher-seeded team advanced in each case. Afghanistan and Hong Kong, China are out of a medal event having faced no bowling at all.

No ball was bowled in either match. The tournament regulations for an abandoned knockout tie hand the place to the higher seed, and that is how both ties were settled.

Two abandonments at Korogi Sports Park

Rain and a damp outfield ended both fixtures. Yardbarker reported that the India match was called off 16 minutes before the scheduled toss. The ICC, which placed the venue in Nagoya rather than Nisshin, described both matches as abandoned without play. The India match did not reach its toss.

The weather had already shaped this tournament. Nepal reached the last eight after a washout against hosts Japan. Malaysia and Hong Kong, China came through Group B. Oman went out at the group stage.

• Pakistan v Hong Kong, China, abandoned, Pakistan advance
• India v Afghanistan, abandoned, India advance
• Sri Lanka v Nepal, quarter-final, 29 September
• Bangladesh v Malaysia, quarter-final, 29 September

Seeding decides both ties

Seeding at this tournament follows the ICC men’s T20I team rankings. Yardbarker gave the relevant positions as India first and Afghanistan tenth, and Pakistan sixth against Hong Kong, China in 24th. Neither tie was replayed.

Afghanistan and Hong Kong go out

Afghanistan arrived as one of the stronger sides in the draw and leave without a result. Hong Kong, China had come through Group B to reach the last eight. Neither board has a route back into the competition. Both go home from a medal event without a completed knockout match.

For associate and emerging programmes the arithmetic is blunt. A rankings-based tiebreak rewards the side that was already ranked higher, so a quarter-final washout removes the one fixture in which that gap could have been closed.

The remaining quarter-finals

Sri Lanka play Nepal on Tuesday. Bangladesh play Malaysia the same day. India meet the winner of the first of those and Pakistan meet the winner of the second, though the ICC and Yardbarker give different dates for the semi-finals, so Crickslab is not carrying one.

Nepal have already beaten Afghanistan at these Games. Malaysia topped Group B. Both face opponents ranked above them. The same abandonment rule applies to their ties, so the weather in Aichi Prefecture is worth watching as closely as the team sheets.

There is a scheduling question for organisers here. A knockout round at a multi-sport games carries no reserve day, and two of the four quarter-finals have now been decided by a ranking table rather than by cricket. Hong Kong, China and Afghanistan came through their groups and never got to bat in the knockout round.