Pakistan advanced to the semifinals of the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games 2026 after their quarter-final against Hong Kong was abandoned due to persistent rain in Nisshin, Japan, on Monday.
The match, scheduled at Korogi Sports Park, was called off without the toss. Continuous rain left the playing area and outfield unfit for cricket, with conditions preventing even a shortened contest from taking place. The abandonment meant Pakistan progressed to the last four on the basis of their higher ICC T20I ranking.
Pakistan secured direct entry into the Asian Games quarter-finals, along with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as one of the four highest-ranked teams in the competition. Hong Kong, meanwhile, had qualified for the knockout stage after finishing second in Group B.
Hong Kong collected two points from the group stage. They opened their campaign with an eight-wicket defeat against Malaysia before recovering with a 41-run victory over Oman. Their final Group B fixture between Malaysia and Oman was abandoned without a ball being bowled, leaving Malaysia top of the group with three points and Hong Kong second with two.
Pakistan therefore move directly into the semi-finals without playing a match in the tournament so far. Sahibzada Farhan is leading Pakistan’s 15-member squad, which includes Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and wicketkeeper Usman Khan. Mike Hesson is the team’s head coach.
Who will Pakistan face in semifinal?
Pakistan will face the winner of the Bangladesh-Malaysia quarter-final in the semifinal. Bangladesh are scheduled to take on Group B winners Malaysia on Tuesday.
The result of that match will determine Pakistan’s opponent in the first semifinal. Shreyas Iyer-led India are scheduled to take on Afghanistan in the second quarterfinal later on Monday. Should India win their quarterfinal, the Men in Blue will face either Sri Lanka or Nepal in the semifinal.
India and Pakistan can thus play against each other in the gold medal match, if both teams win their semifinals, or in the bronze medal match, if both teams lose their semifinals.
Last week, the India women’s cricket team, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, clinched gold by beating Sri Lanka in the final.
The men’s cricket bronze-medal match and final are scheduled for 3 October. Pakistan’s route to the gold-medal match will therefore continue with the 1 October semifinal against either Bangladesh or Malaysia.