Men's Cricket at Asian Games: Gold medal to be shared in case of rain

The men’s cricket final at the Asian Games could see a joint gold medal winner if rain washes out the summit clash on Saturday. Unlike the previous edition in Hangzhou, China, where the Indian men’s team clinched the gold medal by virtue of their T20I rankings after rain abandoned the gold medal match against Afghanistan, the two finalists will share the ultimate prize between them this time. Likewise, the bronze medal match between two losing semifinalists would see a similar outcome in case of rain.

“There are no reserve days scheduled for the men’s cricket final,” the Asian Games organising committee said in a statement to The Indian Express. “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.”

The clarification came shortly after rain disrupted all four quarterfinals, with higher-ranked teams, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, advancing to the semifinals to be played on Thursday. India and Afghanistan were scheduled to play the second quarterfinal, but rain interruption ruled out any cricket between them.

India, however, has played just one game since arriving in Japan, taking on the Asian Games hosts in a one-off T20I on September 22 in Sano, which India narrowly won. Although rain had the last laugh during the quarterfinals, the weather forecast offers encouragement ahead of the medal matches, with no rainfall predicted in Nagoya on Saturday.

India will face Sri Lanka in their semifinal match on Thursday, while Pakistan and Bangladesh will meet in the second knockout match later in the day. The final is scheduled for October 3 at the Korogi Sports Park.

Meanwhile, India is fielding a full-strength side for the Asian Games, with T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer leading the team. The likes of ace quick Jasprit Bumrah and attacking opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi have also made the cut, but persistent rain has restricted fireworks from India’s star-studded batting unit.

Last week, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s team won the gold medal by beating Sri Lanka in a lopsided contest.