NAGOYA: Rain once again disrupted the Asian Games cricket competition on Tuesday, washing out both scheduled quarter-finals without a single ball being bowled.
Persistent wet conditions prevented the matches from getting underway, forcing officials to abandon the fixtures and decide the semi-finalists on the basis of seeding.
Sri Lanka were scheduled to face Nepal in one quarter-final, while Bangladesh were due to take on Malaysia in the other. With the weather making play impossible, both matches were called off.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh subsequently advanced to the semi-finals because of their higher seeding.
The washouts have left the Asian Games cricket tournament with a shortened route to the medals, with the semi-final line-up now confirmed.
Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the first semi-final, while India will meet Sri Lanka in the second. Both matches are scheduled to be played on October 1.
The latest washouts follow a similar disruption on Monday, when rain prevented both quarter-finals involving Pakistan and Hong Kong and India and Afghanistan from getting underway.
Pakistan had been scheduled to play Hong Kong, while India were due to meet Afghanistan. Neither match could begin, with the weather again determining the outcome and the higher-seeded sides progressing.
The repeated interruptions have made weather a major factor in the cricket competition, leaving teams with limited opportunities to display their form on the field.
For Pakistan, the focus now shifts to the semi-final against Bangladesh. The team will have to prepare for a knockout contest in which a place in the Asian Games final will be at stake.
India, meanwhile, will face Sri Lanka in the other semi-final, setting up another high-profile contest in the tournament.
With both semi-finals scheduled for the same day, the competition is now moving rapidly toward its medal-deciding stage. Teams will be hoping that improved weather conditions finally allow the remaining matches to be completed without further interruptions.
The tournament’s quarter-final stage, however, will be remembered for an unusual outcome: multiple matches were decided without a single delivery being bowled.
