Sri Lanka and Bangladesh advance as rain washes out cricket again By

NAGOYA: Persistent rain continued to hamper the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Tuesday, prompting Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to advance to the men’s cricket semi-finals as their quarter-final matches were called off without a single ball being bowled. Scheduled to face Nepal, Sri Lanka encountered Bangladesh, while Malaysia was set to challenge Bangladesh.

Nevertheless, the lack of play for two consecutive days at the Korogi Sports Park, situated on the southern outskirts of Nagoya, led to the higher-ranked teams automatically qualifying for the final four. Jarrad Shearer, the games’ sports director, expressed his frustration as the organizers transformed a baseball diamond into a cricket ground, only to witness limited action despite their efforts.

Shearer lamented, "Cricket, like baseball, you can't play it in the rain. A year of my life on this, and it rains." Sri Lanka will now clash with defending champions India, while Bangladesh will meet Pakistan in the semi-finals on Thursday. However, Bangladesh will be absent Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was ruled out of the tournament due to a fever and infection.

Despite the disruptions, Shearer remained hopeful that the weather would improve in time for the top-tier cricket matches. "Come tomorrow morning, we will be working round the clock to dry up the areas that aren't under the covers," Shearer stated. "We have some soppers, squeegees, big brooms, and sponges at our disposal. Plus, it's supposed to be sunny and 32 C (89.6 Fahrenheit) in the afternoon, so with a bit of luck, we should be able to soak up as much water as possible and the sun will do its job in the afternoon."