Asian Games: Pakistan reach semi-finals after abandoned Hong Kong clash
What's the story
The first quarter-final of the men's Asian Games 2026 between Pakistan and Hong Kong was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain. According to the tournament's playing conditions, Pakistan advanced to the semi-finals on account of their higher ranking than Hong Kong in ICC rankings. They will face the winners of another quarter-final match between Bangladesh and Malaysia on Thursday.
Weather woes
No play possible in Nisshin
The match was called off even before the toss due to persistent rain in Nisshin throughout the day.
The broadcast showed a major portion of the ground covered as heavy rainfall lashed the venue.
Pakistan, one of four seeded teams that directly qualified for the quarter-finals along with India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, were supposed to take on Hong Kong who finished second in three-team Group B.
Past matches
Pakistan beat Hong Kong in previous 2 T20I encounters
This would have been the third T20I match between Pakistan and Hong Kong.
The former had already beaten the latter in their previous two encounters at the 2022 Asia Cup and 2023 Asian Games.
Despite not playing a single ball in this quarter-final match, Pakistan has made it to the semi-finals for the third time in history due to its higher ICC T20I ranking.
Past achievements
Bronze medalists in men's cricket
Pakistan had previously won a bronze medal in men's cricket at the 2010 Asian Games after defeating Afghanistan.
They skipped the 2014 edition and lost in the semi-finals to Afghanistan in 2023, eventually finishing fourth after losing to Bangladesh in another rain-affected bronze-medal match.
This is the third consecutive men's cricket event at this Asian Games that has been disrupted by weather conditions.