Why Will There Be No Silver Medals Up for Grabs If The Men's Cricket Final Gets Washed Out In Asian Games 2026?

Rain has already wiped out six matches in the men’s cricket event at the 2026 Asian Games at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, with play yet to begin in any of them. All four quarterfinals were among the abandoned matches. The women’s knockout matches have stayed clear of the weather, but the men’s competition has turned into a major headache.

That has sent India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka through to the semifinals as the highest-ranked teams against their respective opponents. Unlike earlier editions of men’s cricket at the Asian Games, the Aichi-Nagoya event will not hand out a silver medal if the final is abandoned. If the weather stays this way in the last few days, it will also disappoint the organisers, players and fans in Japan, who have recently started following the game more closely.

Medal Rules Explained

The rule has changed.

Cricket has been part of the Asian Games programme since 2010, apart from the 2018 Jakarta edition. In the three previous editions in which men’s cricket was staged, Afghanistan collected silver each time. They lost the finals in 2010 and 2014, and in 2022 in Hangzhou the title match against India was washed out by rain.

India were awarded gold in Hangzhou because they were ahead of Afghanistan in the ICC T20I rankings. This time, the Aichi-Nagoya organising committee has taken a different route. If the final is washed out, both teams will get gold rather than being split by their latest ICC T20I rankings.

“There are no reserve days scheduled for the men’s cricket final,” the Asian Games 2026 organising committee informed. “If the final is cancelled, both finalist teams will be awarded gold medals. If the bronze medal match is cancelled, both teams competing for third place will be awarded bronze medals.”

Semifinal Path Ahead

The semifinals are set for October 1 at Korogi Sports Park, Nisshin.

Pakistan face Bangladesh at 5:30 AM IST, while India meet Sri Lanka at 10:30 AM IST. The bronze-medal playoff follows on October 3 at 5:30 AM IST, with the gold-medal playoff at 10:30 AM IST, again at the same venue.

Rain could still change the bracket. If both semifinals are washed out, India and Pakistan would go to the final on ranking. India are No. 1 in the latest ICC T20I rankings, Pakistan are sixth, Bangladesh eighth and Sri Lanka ninth.

That would leave Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to contest the bronze medal. If the gold-medal game is then washed out as well, India and Pakistan will share gold, which would give Pakistan its first Asian Games men’s cricket gold. If the bronze-medal match is also abandoned, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will share bronze.