India and Pakistan are in the Asian Games semi-finals, and neither has bowled a ball
Rain washed out both of Monday’s quarter-finals in Nisshin, and the ICC rankings sent India past Afghanistan and Pakistan past Hong Kong.
Sep 28, 2026
India came to Japan to defend the Asian Games cricket title, and they are in the semi-finals without having bowled a ball. Their quarter-final against Afghanistan in Nisshin was called off on Monday before the toss, with persistent rain leaving the outfield unfit, and India went through because they sit higher in the ICC men’s T20I rankings.
It was not close on that measure. India are first in those rankings and Afghanistan are tenth. Under the Asian Games playing conditions, a knockout game with no result goes to the better-ranked side, so the tie was settled the moment the game was called off.
Pakistan went through the same way
The first quarter-final had already gone. Pakistan were due to play Hong Kong at the same ground earlier in the day, and that game was also abandoned without a ball bowled. Pakistan are sixth in the rankings and Hong Kong are 24th, so Sahibzada Farhan’s side are in the last four as well.
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were the four seeds, given byes straight into the quarter-finals while the other six teams played a group stage. The byes were supposed to be a small head start. Two of the teams who earned their place through that group stage have now been knocked out by teams they never got to face, and I find it hard to call that a fair way to end anyone’s tournament, even if the rule was there in writing before the first match.
Afghanistan and the rain, again
Afghanistan have been here before. They met India in the final in Hangzhou in 2023 and were 112 for 5 after 18.2 overs when the rain came. Play never restarted, India took gold on the ranking rule, and Afghanistan got silver.
That day they at least batted. This time they beat Japan, lost to Nepal, finished second in Group A, and went home without another game.
What comes next
The last two quarter-finals are on Tuesday: Nepal against Sri Lanka, then Bangladesh against Malaysia. The forecast for Nisshin is no better. The semi-finals are on Thursday, 1 October, when Shreyas Iyer’s India play the winner of Nepal and Sri Lanka, and Pakistan face whoever comes through between Bangladesh and Malaysia. The medal matches are on Saturday, 3 October.
India and Pakistan are in opposite halves of the draw, so the only place they can meet is the final. If the weather in Aichi stays like this, the rankings table could end up deciding more than the cricket does.