Persistent Rain Disrupts Asian Games Cricket as India and Pakistan Advance to Semifinals

Persistent rain disrupted the 2026 Asian Games men’s cricket tournament, with India and Pakistan advancing to the semifinals after their quarterfinals were abandoned without a ball being bowled; both progressed under rules favoring the higher-ranked team. Malaysia reached the quarterfinals after its group match against Oman was washed out, while Oman exited the cricket competition without a win. In other events, Oman’s men’s 4x100-meter relay team qualified for the final, sprinter Ali Al Balushi finished fourth in the 200 meters after winning silver in the 100 meters, and Oman’s beach volleyball pair advanced to the Round of 16 despite losing to Qatar.
India entered the knockout stage as defending champions and received a direct quarterfinal berth because of its ICC T20I ranking. Afghanistan had reached the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group A.
Malaysia topped Group B with three points after beating Hong Kong by eight wickets before its rain-abandoned match against Oman. Team manager K. Yuvaraj said Malaysia had lost to Bangladesh by two runs at the 2023 Asian Games, adding: “We have never beaten them before but we will give our best.”
Oman’s 4x100m relay quartet—Ali Al Balushi, Mulham Al Balushi, Rashid Al Asmi and Mohammed Al Saadi—qualified for the final in 38.99 seconds.
Ali Al Balushi ran the 200m final in 20.72 seconds, after reaching it with a 20.42-second semifinal. His earlier 100m silver was the first Asian Games medal for an Omani athlete in that event.
Oman’s beach volleyball pair lost both sets to Qatar by 21-19, but had already secured a Round of 16 place by beating the Philippines in its opening match. Oman was due to face Indonesia next.
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