Rain has wrecked the men's cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026, with all four quarter-finals abandoned without a ball being bowled at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh reached the semi-finals purely on their higher ICC rankings after their matches against Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Nepal and Malaysia were washed out on 28 and 29 September.

The farcical sequence has restarted the debate on scheduling. Organisers built no reserve days into the timetable, and a typhoon threat over Japan has raised fears of more disruption.

India will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan will meet Bangladesh in the semi-finals on 1 October. Fans and players will hope the weather finally allows some cricket.

The ICC rankings were used as the tie-breaker because the playing conditions had no reserve day. Several former players called the situation unfair to lower-ranked teams like Nepal and Afghanistan, who never got to play.