"Didn't even get to throw a single ball before being eliminated" Rain cancels quarterfinals → Four teams ultimately knocked out... Local Nepali outrage over 'elimination': "How did they advance?" [Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games]

*This content was translated by AI.

An absurd incident occurred in the men's cricket event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Due to rain, all four quarterfinal matches failed to proceed as scheduled, resulting in the elimination of Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Nepal, and Malaysia without them even getting a proper contest.

Reuters reported on the 29th (Korean time) that "as rain continued to disrupt the Asian Games schedule, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh advanced to the men's cricket semifinals."

Sri Lanka was scheduled to face Nepal, and Bangladesh was set to play Malaysia in their respective quarterfinal matches. However, continuous rainfall at Korogi Sports Park in Nagoya led to both matches being canceled without a single ball being bowled.

The same situation occurred in the quarterfinals held the previous day. The India-Afghanistan and Pakistan-Hong Kong matches also failed to take place due to rain and wet ground conditions.

As a result, all four men's cricket quarterfinal matches at this tournament were affected by rain and could not proceed normally.

Consequently, Nepal, Malaysia, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong were eliminated. What determined the outcome was not performance on the field, but rankings.

According to Asian Games cricket regulations, if a knockout match is completely canceled due to rain and no result can be produced, the team with the higher ranking advances to the next round.

Accordingly, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh automatically advanced to the semifinals. Conversely, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Nepal, and Malaysia had to pack their bags without even getting a proper match.

For Nepal in particular, the result was inevitably disheartening.

Nepal defeated Afghanistan in the group stage to secure first place in Group A. They earned their quarterfinal berth by winning directly on the field, but ultimately finished the tournament without throwing a single ball in their quarterfinal against Sri Lanka.

Nepali local media outlet OnLINE Kabbar pointed out, "There were no badly hit shots. There were no missed catches. There were no tactical errors. There wasn't even a toss."

It continued, "Nepal defeated Afghanistan to take first place in Group A. They earned their qualification for the knockout stage directly on the field," adding, "But when the quarterfinal was canceled, the effort Nepal poured into reaching that point suddenly became meaningless."

The controversy is further fueled by the tournament structure.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh advanced directly to the quarterfinals based on rankings from the start. In contrast, other countries, including Nepal, had to play through the group stage to secure the remaining quarterfinal spots.

Nepal went through this process directly to reach the quarterfinals. However, when the match was canceled due to rain, rankings once again determined the outcome.

The higher-ranked teams not only advanced directly to the quarterfinals thanks to their rankings but also received the same ranking-based benefit in the rain-cancellation scenario to advance to the semifinals.

OnLINE Kabbar noted the structural issues, stating, "Nepal earned its quarterfinal berth on the field. However, in the quarterfinals, they were not even given the opportunity to compete."

Criticism was also raised regarding the cricket infrastructure of host country Japan.

OnLINE Cabaret noted, "While Japan is a highly developed country in many fields, cricket is still a sport in its growth stage," adding that "cricket facilities cannot necessarily be said to be at the same level as those in countries where the infrastructure for the sport is deeply established."

It further explained, "In matches affected by rain, there were no facilities capable of completely covering the entire ground," noting, "When it rains and the ground gets wet, it becomes much more difficult to resume play."

The outlet emphasized, "This issue cannot be viewed solely as a matter of fairness in ranking regulations," stating, "Tournament operations, tight schedules, match rules, and infrastructure issues are all intertwined."

Venue officials also failed to hide their disappointment.

Reuters reported that "Tournament Sports Director Jared Shearer could not hide his disappointment," adding, "The organizing committee spent a full year converting an existing baseball stadium into a cricket ground, yet they are unable to hold proper matches due to rain."

Shearer said, "Like baseball, cricket cannot be played when it rains," lamenting, "I have poured a year of my life into this, and now it is raining."

The organizing committee plans to mobilize all available equipment, including squeegees, large brooms, and sponges, to remove moisture and prepare for the remaining matches.

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*This content was translated by AI.