Persistent rain continued to disrupt the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh advancing to the men’s cricket semi-finals after their quarter-final matches were abandoned without a single ball being bowled. Sri Lanka was scheduled to play Nepal, while Bangladesh was set to face Malaysia. However, a second consecutive day of no play at the Korogi Sports Park, located on the southern outskirts of Nagoya, meant the higher-ranked teams progressed automatically.
Frustration Over Venue Preparation
Jarrad Shearer, the games’ sports director, expressed deep disappointment after organizers spent an entire year converting a baseball diamond into a cricket venue. “Cricket, like baseball, you can’t play it in the rain. A year of my life on this, and it rains,” Shearer said.
Semi-Final Lineups and Squad Updates
Sri Lanka will now face defending champions India, while Bangladesh will play Pakistan in the semi-finals on Thursday. However, Bangladesh will be without batter Najmul Hossain Shanto, who has been ruled out of the tournament due to a fever and infection.
Cleanup Efforts Underway
Despite the washouts, Shearer remained optimistic that the weather would clear in time for the upcoming matches. “Come tomorrow morning it will be all hands on deck to dry up the areas that aren’t under the covers. We’ve got some soppers, we’ve got some squeegees, some big old brooms, we’ve got sponges. Plus, it’s supposed to be sunny and 32 C (89.6 Fahrenheit), so with any luck we’ll soak up as much water as we can in the morning and the sun will do its work in the afternoon,” Shearer added.
