Rain washes out quarterfinal, Nepal exit Asian Games cricket without playing

Nepal have been eliminated from the men's cricket event at the 20th Asian Games, being held in Japan, without playing their quarterfinal. The match against Sri Lanka, scheduled for Tuesday morning in Nagoya, could not be held due to rain. The match between Bangladesh and Malaysia was also rained off.

Earlier on Monday too, a match could not be held, allowing India and Pakistan to advance. Under pre-set rules, higher-seeded India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have reached the semifinals, while Nepal, Malaysia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong have been eliminated. None of the four teams that reached the semifinals have won a single match in the tournament.

In the group stage, Nepal had beaten Afghanistan, and reached the quarterfinal after its match against Japan was washed out and points were shared. In an interview with Himalaya Television, Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) president Chatur Bahadur Chand said no one had imagined that all four quarterfinals would be washed out by rain.

He said the playing conditions, drawn up by full-member nations, had not been taken seriously at the time since CAN had already accepted those conditions. Chand said CAN would now push to improve them going forward. Disappointment prevails among associate-nation players who did not get a chance to play.