No Reserve Day Means Shared Gold If Cricket Final Is Rained Out at 2026 Asian Games

Gold medal in the men's cricket tournament at the 2026 Asian Games will be shared by the two finalists if the final is washed out, the organising committee said. There are no reserve days for the final, and the same rule applies to the bronze‑medal match; if either match is cancelled, both teams will receive the respective medals. The clarification follows rain‑affected play in Nagoya that stopped all knockout matches so far. India reached the semifinals after their quarter‑final against Afghanistan was abandoned; their higher ICC T20I ranking allowed them to advance. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games India had been given gold when the final with Afghanistan was abandoned under a ranking rule. Weather forecasts for Nagoya through Saturday show no rain, and the final is set for October 3 at Korogi Sports Park. India will meet Sri Lanka in the semifinals on Thursday, while Pakistan faces Bangladesh in the other semifinal. The Indian squad is full‑strength, led by Shreyas Iyer and includes Jasprit Bumrah and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but recent rain has stopped practice. Washington Sundar was seen cheering for long jumper Murali Sreeshankar, who won a silver medal, and the women’s team recently beat Sri Lanka to win gold. ## Context The sharing of medals reflects a precautionary approach after rain disrupted earlier matches, ensuring both finalists are rewarded when weather prevents a result.