Sri Lanka Advance to Semi-Finals After Nepal Quarter-Final Abandoned
Sri Lanka have advanced to the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semi-finals after their quarter-final against Nepal was abandoned because of persistent rain in Nisshin, Japan. No ball was bowled during the scheduled contest at Korogi Sports Park.
The washout ended Nepal’s campaign in the Asian Games despite the team entering the knockout stage with an unbeaten record from the group phase. Nepal had impressed earlier in the competition, including a five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in its opening Group A match.
However, the tournament rules provided an advantage to the higher-seeded team when rain prevented a quarter-final from taking place. Sri Lanka therefore progressed to the semi-finals instead of Nepal. The result was confirmed after officials were unable to create suitable playing conditions.
The outcome means Sri Lanka will now face India in the semi-final on October 1. India also advanced through a rain-abandoned quarter-final, with Afghanistan unable to play their scheduled knockout match.
The weather has played a major role in the Asian Games men’s cricket competition. Multiple quarter-finals were abandoned without a ball being bowled, including Pakistan vs Hong Kong, India vs Afghanistan and now Sri Lanka vs Nepal. Bangladesh vs Malaysia was also later abandoned.
Nepal’s elimination is particularly notable because the team had shown strong form during the group stage. Their campaign included a victory over Afghanistan, while the final Group A match against Japan was also affected by rain before Nepal advanced to the quarter-finals.
Sri Lanka now have the opportunity to challenge India for a place in the gold-medal match. With the semi-final stage scheduled for October 1, both teams will hope that weather conditions finally allow the tournament’s knockout cricket to be decided on the field.
#SriLankaCricket #NepalCricket #AsianGames #AsianGames2026 #CricketNews #T20Cricket #Cricket #Howzzat
