The men's cricket tournament at the ongoing Asian Games has been significantly hindered by rain interruptions, with almost all matches affected so far. Team India were supposed to take on Afghanistan in the quarter-final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, but the contest was called off due to persistent rain, as not a ball was bowled. India reached the semis on the back of their higher ICC T20I standing.
The other three quarter-finals were also washed out due to rain, resulting in a semi-final showdown between India and Sri Lanka. With the two sides set to meet in Nisshin on Thursday, the weather will once again be a hot topic ahead of the encounter.
What happens if the India vs Sri Lanka semi-final is washed out?
According to AccuWeather, the weather forecast for Nisshin is good. There is no chance that the match will be rained out. The sky should be clear with temperatures near 30 degrees Celsius and only a one per cent chance of precipitation.
However, if rain does cancel the semi-final, India will qualify for the men's cricket final at the Asian Games, due to their higher ICC T20I world rankings compared to Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka had already been eliminated in the quarter-final at the 2022 Asian Games, after losing against Afghanistan. They will face India for a spot in the final and the chance to win a medal in the men's event.
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Bangladesh and Pakistan will also compete in the other semi-final. Bangladesh qualified for the semi-finals after their match against Malaysia was also washed out on Tuesday. Both semi-finals have been scheduled for October 1, with the first match between Bangladesh and Pakistan, followed by the match between India and Sri Lanka later the same day.
India aims to retain the gold medal they won at the men's cricket tournament at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. They were presented with the trophy after their final match against Afghanistan was also washed out, and the higher-ranked team was determined as the winner.
The Indian women's team has successfully defended their Asian Games title in Aichi-Nagoya. Led by Harmanpreet Kaur, the women's cricket team defeated Sri Lanka by a large margin of 147 runs in the final to secure the gold medal.