Afghanistan’s Asian Games men’s cricket quarter-final against India was abandoned without a toss on Monday after persistent rain left the outfield at Nisshin unplayable.

The match was called off 16 minutes before the scheduled toss, with no play possible because of the wet conditions.

India advanced to the semi-finals because of their higher seeding, which was determined by the ICC T20I team rankings.

India will face the winner of Tuesday’s quarter-final between Nepal and Sri Lanka in Thursday’s second semi-final.

Sri Lanka, one of the four seeded teams alongside India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, will also advance if its quarter-final against Nepal is washed out.

Earlier on Monday, the first quarter-final between Hong Kong and Pakistan was also abandoned without a toss because of rain.

This outcome marked the second consecutive Asian Games in which Afghanistan’s men’s campaign has ended against India because of rain.

At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Afghanistan won the silver medal after the final against India was abandoned following 18.2 overs of India’s first innings. India, the higher-seeded team, were awarded the gold medal under the tournament rules.

Former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has called for an end to what he described as Pakistan’s “double game” over its alleged support for militant groups operating in Afghanistan, urging the two neighbouring countries to open a new chapter in their relations.

In a post on X, Khalilzad said he believed the past 30 years had demonstrated a significant gap between Pakistan’s public statements and its actions regarding armed groups involved in fighting in Afghanistan.

Referring to the period of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, Khalilzad alleged that Pakistan provided sanctuary and support to militants fighting U.S. and Afghan forces while publicly denying doing so.

“Playing this double game must stop,” Khalilzad wrote, adding that it was time for Afghanistan and Pakistan to “turn a new page.”

He called for greater economic cooperation and development between the two countries and said they should agree not to allow their respective territories to be used to threaten each other’s security.

Khalilzad’s comments come amid renewed tensions between Kabul and Islamabad over cross-border militancy and security allegations.

Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of allowing Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups to operate from Afghan territory. Kabul has denied providing sanctuary to groups planning attacks against Pakistan.

The dispute has increasingly spilled into military confrontation. Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan on September 21, saying it had targeted militant positions, while Afghan officials and the United Nations said three civilians, including a woman and a girl, were killed. Pakistan said the strikes killed 28 militants.

Islamabad has also continued to accuse Kabul of failing to prevent attacks originating from Afghan territory. Pakistani authorities have said their military actions are carried out in response to security threats and in self-defence.

Pakistan, meanwhile, has rejected recent Afghan allegations that its security forces or intelligence agencies were involved in violence in Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, calling the claims baseless.

Against this backdrop, Khalilzad said improved relations should focus on economic cooperation, development and mutual security guarantees, with neither country allowing its territory to be used against the other.

Trade between Afghanistan and Kazakhstan reached $581 million in the past six months, officials in Afghanistan’s western Herat province said.

The figure was discussed during a meeting between Herat Governor Noor Ahmad Islam Jar and a Kazakh delegation led by Yerkin Tukumov, Kazakhstan’s special representative for Afghanistan.

Tukumov stressed the need to expand transit capacity and remove customs barriers to facilitate increased trade between the two countries. He also invited Afghan officials to attend a joint economic meeting scheduled to take place in Kazakhstan.

Islam Jar highlighted Herat’s strategic location and security, describing the province as having significant potential to serve as a hub for investment and regional trade.

Afghanistan and Kazakhstan have previously discussed expanding trade in agricultural products, including Afghan agricultural exports in exchange for flour imports from Kazakhstan.

The two sides have also reached understandings on cooperation over the Torghundi-Herat railway project, which is intended to strengthen transport and trade links.

The latest discussions come as Kabul and Astana work on a bilateral economic cooperation roadmap, with the two countries aiming to increase annual trade to $3 billion.