Pakistan begin Asian Games cricket campaign against Hong Kong

Pakistan advanced to the semi-finals of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket competition after their quarter-final against Hong Kong was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled.

The match in Nisshin, Japan, was called off around the scheduled toss as persistent showers left much of the ground under covers. With no play possible, Pakistan progressed under the tournament’s playing conditions as the higher-ranked team in the ICC rankings.

Pakistan had entered the quarter-finals as one of four seeded teams, alongside India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The seeded teams received direct entry into the quarter-final stage.

Hong Kong reached the last eight after finishing second in Group B. They beat Malaysia by eight wickets before losing to Oman by 41 runs.

Pakistan will now face the winner of the fourth quarter-final between Bangladesh and Malaysia in the semi-final on Thursday, October 1.

The washout means Pakistan advance without playing their quarter-final match. The team had completed a four-day training camp in Karachi before travelling to Japan and held a training session in Nisshin on Sunday, although rain had affected preparations there as well.

The abandoned fixture would have been the third T20 meeting between Pakistan and Hong Kong. Pakistan won their previous encounters at the 2022 Asia Cup and the 2023 Asian Games.

The Asian Games cricket semi-finals are scheduled for Thursday, with the bronze medal and gold medal matches set for Saturday, October 3.