Pakistan advanced to the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semi-finals after their quarter-final against Hong Kong, China, was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Persistent rain at Korogi Sports Park left large parts of the ground under covers. As a result, officials called off the match around the time of the toss after ruling out any realistic chance of play.
Under tournament regulations, Pakistan progressed because of their superior ICC T20I ranking. Meanwhile, Hong Kong were eliminated without taking the field.
Pakistan Advance as Higher-Ranked Team
The Green Shirts were among four seeded teams that received direct entry into the quarter-finals. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also benefited from their higher rankings.
Hong Kong reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group B. They defeated Malaysia by eight wickets before losing to Oman by 41 runs.
Pakistan arrived in Japan after holding a training camp in Karachi. However, rain also disrupted their preparations, with an overnight downpour affecting a practice session in Nisshin.
The Pakistan team is captained by Sahibzada Farhan and coached by Mike Hesson.
Semi-Final Opponent Yet to Be Confirmed
Pakistan will face the winner of the Bangladesh-Malaysia quarter-final in the semi-final on Thursday at the same venue.
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 2023 Asian Games.
Pakistan also won a bronze medal in men’s cricket at the 2010 Asian Games.
Meanwhile, rain also abandoned the India-Afghanistan quarter-final. India advanced as the higher-ranked side and will meet the winner of the Sri Lanka-Nepal quarter-final.
The semi-finals will take place on October 1, while the bronze-medal match and final are scheduled for October 3.
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