Bangladesh advanced to the semifinals of the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games without playing a single ball after their quarterfinal against Malaysia was abandoned due to rain.

Litton Das and his teammates were scheduled to face Malaysia at 11am Bangladesh time today. However, the match was called off nearly three and a half hours before the scheduled start because of persistent rain. Bangladesh advanced under the tournament rules as they are ranked higher than Malaysia.

Bangladesh team manager Nafees Iqbal said, “The Games authorities informed us in the morning that the match would not take place. So, the team will not even go to the stadium.”

Persistent rain in Nagoya has disrupted the men’s cricket quarterfinals at the Asian Games. Two quarterfinal matches were abandoned yesterday, while Nepal’s match against Sri Lanka was also called off this morning. Bangladesh’s match was also cancelled ahead of schedule as the ground was deemed unfit for play.

Bangladesh are scheduled to face Pakistan in the semifinal on October 1, with the match set to begin at 9am. However, the semifinal is also under threat if weather conditions do not improve.

If the semifinal is abandoned, Pakistan will advance to the final due to their higher ranking. Bangladesh would then have to compete for the bronze medal.

Earlier, Bangladesh’s women’s cricket team also advanced to the semifinals without playing their quarterfinal against China because of rain. The match was abandoned, allowing Jyoti’s team to progress based on their higher ranking.