No covers, no super soppers, no cricket: how Japan's washouts knocked Nepal and Afghanistan out of the Asian Games
Rain and waterlogged outfields wiped out all four men's quarter-finals in Japan. Nepal, who beat Afghanistan in the group stage, and Afghanistan both went home without bowling a ball.
Nepal and Afghanistan came to Japan to play cricket. They are going home from the Asian Games without bowling a ball in the knockouts. Rain across the Aichi-Nagoya region washed out the men's quarter-finals at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, and the semi-final line-up was settled by ICC T20I rankings rather than on the field.
How the Asian Games quarter-finals were lost
- 28 September: India vs Afghanistan was abandoned without a ball bowled. India (No. 1 in T20Is) went through ahead of Afghanistan (No. 10).
- 28 September: Pakistan vs Hong Kong, China was also abandoned, and Pakistan progressed.
- 29 September: Sri Lanka vs Nepal was called off without a toss. Sri Lanka (ranked 9th) went through and Nepal (14th) were knocked out.
- Bangladesh vs Malaysia was also washed out, sending Bangladesh through.
All four semi-finalists advanced without playing a quarter-final.
Nepal: beat Afghanistan, still out
The cruellest story belongs to Nepal. They beat Afghanistan by five wickets in the group stage, one of the results of the tournament. Their final group game against Japan was reduced to 15 overs, and Nepal made 149 for 4 before rain stopped Japan's reply. Then their quarter-final against Sri Lanka was abandoned without a toss, and their campaign was over.
Afghanistan went out without a ball bowled against India. Batter Mohammad Akram Zazai said even "five or six overs" would have kept them in the contest.
A baseball ground and no super soppers
The cricket venue at Korogi Sports Park is a converted baseball diamond, prepared over a year for the Games. When the rain set in, critics said the ground simply wasn't equipped to recover.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra was among the loudest voices. "There is no provision for drying at all. There are no super soppers or covers in place," he said, calling it "a very poor way of conducting the Asian Games."
The complaints from fans and analysts centred on:
- No proper drainage to clear standing water from the outfield
- No super soppers or full-ground covers to protect the square and outfield
- Matches called off well before the scheduled start, with no attempt at a shortened game
What the organisers said
The Games' cricket sports director, Jarrad Shearer, admitted the frustration. "Cricket, like baseball, you can't play it in the rain. A year of my life on this, and it rains," he said. He pointed to soppers, squeegees, brooms and sponges on hand, and hoped sunshine and 32°C heat would dry the ground for the semi-finals.
Why it matters for the Asian Games
The Asian Games are meant to be a stage for teams like Nepal, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, who rarely get multi-team events against the big nations. Deciding knockouts on rankings rewards the teams that were already seeded and takes away the chance to cause an upset, the very thing that makes the event special.
Cricket's future at multi-sport events, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, depends on showing it can be staged properly outside its traditional homes. Proper drainage, covers and drying equipment should be the minimum.
Asian Games 2026 semi-finals
Both semi-finals are on Thursday, 1 October:
- India vs Sri Lanka
- Bangladesh vs Pakistan
India are the defending champions after winning gold at Hangzhou 2023, where the final against Afghanistan was also rained off. Follow every India match on tryball.in.