Rain Washout Sends India Into Asian Games Cricket Semifinals

India advanced to the men’s cricket semifinals at the Asian Games after rain forced the quarterfinal against Afghanistan to be called off in Nisshin on September 28. The match was abandoned without a result, according to live match coverage, which said India would progress. The cancellation followed an earlier weather-related washout at Korogi Sports Park, where Pakistan and Hong Kong, China, were unable to play their quarterfinal. Persistent rain left the outfield unfit, and the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled. Pakistan advanced to the semifinals under the reported ranking provision. A preview of the India-Afghanistan match said the tournament’s knockout rules send the higher-ranked team through if rain prevents a result. It described India as the higher-ranked side, citing its position above Afghanistan in the ICC men’s T20I rankings. The available reports say India advanced after the match was called off, but do not include an official tournament statement confirming the ruling or the qualification provision. The scheduled toss for India-Afghanistan had been delayed as conditions failed to improve.