Rain Washes Out Asian Games Cricket Quarterfinals, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Advance

Advancing without a ball bowled

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh reached the semifinals of the men's Asian Games cricket competition in Nagoya on Tuesday without playing a single delivery, as continued wet weather washed out the quarterfinal round entirely.

Under the tournament's rules, the higher-ranked team advances when a match cannot be played. Sri Lanka went through after their quarterfinal against Nepal was rained off, and will now face India in the last four. Bangladesh were awarded their spot after their match against lower-ranked Malaysia met the same fate, setting up a semifinal against Pakistan. Both semifinals are scheduled for Thursday.

A pattern of rain-outs

Tuesday's washouts were not an isolated case. Pakistan and defending champions India had already secured their own semifinal places after rain wiped out Monday's matches as well, meaning the tournament has now lost multiple rounds in a row to weather.

A field built for a different sport

Part of the problem is the venue itself. The competition is being played on a converted baseball field at Korogi Athletic Park, ground that was never designed to shed water the way a purpose-built cricket pitch would. "Cricket, like baseball, you can't play it in the rain," said Jarrad Shearer, who runs the cricket tournament, acknowledging the limits organizers are working within.

Ground crews have resorted to whatever tools they have on hand to clear standing water: soppers, squeegees, large brooms, and sponges among them, a low-tech scramble to salvage a tournament that has been badly disrupted by the weather.

Sunshine on the way

There is at least some relief in sight. Forecasts are calling for sun and temperatures around 32 degrees Celsius from Wednesday onward, giving organizers a real chance to dry out the field before Thursday's semifinals and get the tournament back on track after days of rain-forced walkovers.