Rain abandons Pakistan–Hong Kong quarter-final, Pakistan reach Asian Games semi-final

Persistent rain forced the abandonment of Pakistan’s cricket quarter-final against Hong Kong without a ball being bowled on Monday, allowing the national side to progress to the semi-finals of the Asian Games on the basis of their superior ICC Twenty20 International ranking. The first quarter-final, scheduled at Korogi Sports Park, was called off at the time of the toss after incessant showers left large parts of the ground under covers. Officials determined there was no realistic chance of play, even in a heavily reduced format. Pakistan, one of four seeded teams alongside India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh that received a direct entry into the last eight, advanced under tournament regulations that award the higher-ranked side progression in the event of a no-result. Hong Kong, ranked significantly lower, exited the competition without taking the field. Hong Kong had reached the quarter-finals by finishing second in Group ‘B’ having defeated Malaysia by eight wickets before suffering a 41-run loss to Oman. Pakistan had arrived in Japan after a training camp in Karachi and a practice session in Nisshin that was also disrupted by overnight rain and a wet outfield. The side, captained by Sahibzada Farhan and coached by Mike Hesson, will face the winners of Tuesday’s quarter-final between Bangladesh and Malaysia in the semi-finals, scheduled for Thursday at the same venue. This would have been the third T20 meeting between the two sides, with Pakistan having prevailed in both previous encounters at the 2022 Asia Cup and the 2023 Asian Games. Pakistan won bronze in the men’s cricket event at the 2010 Asian Games. The second quarter-final between India and Afghanistan, scheduled to be the later fixture at the same venue was also abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain. India, being the higher-ranked side, advanced to the semi-finals where they will meet the winners of the quarter-final between Sri Lanka and Nepal. The semi-finals are set for October 1, with the bronze-medal match and final scheduled for October 3.

Nisshin: Pakistan have advanced to the Asian Games semifinal without taking the field in their men's cricket quarterfinal match against Hong Kong as relentless rain played spoilsport, and the match has been abandoned without a ball being bowled here at the Korogi Sports Park on Monday.Also Watch: With the washout, Pakistan progressed to the semi-finals by virtue of their higher ICC T20I ranking, while Hong Kong bowed out without getting an opportunity to take the field. Pakistan will next take on the winners of Tuesday's quarterfinal between Bangladesh and Malaysia. Pakistan and Hong Kong had met twice in this format, in the 2022 Asia Cup and 2023 Asian Games, with Pakistan winning both. Asian Games 2026The cricket match between Pakistan and Hong Kong has been abandoned. Persistent rain has ensured no play is possible. It means Pakistan are through to the semi-finals by virtue of a higher seeding. pic.twitter.com/MVZWwVrQoh— Zeeshan Qayyum (@XeeshanQayyum) September 28, 2026 Hong Kong reached the quarter-finals after winning one of their two group games. Pakistan, meanwhile, came straight in the quarter-finals after receiving the bye in the first and were the strong favourites with the new-look side under a new captain Sahibzada Farhan.As per the format, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh got a first round bye and are straight to the quarter-final phase. The six lowest-seeded teams were split into two groups of three, with the top two teams in each progressing to the knockout stages.In the second quarterfinal of the day, India and Afghanistan will lock horns for a place in the semifinals. However, weather forecasts predict showers.Asian Games Cricket: What Happens If India Vs Afghanistan Quarter-Final Is Washed Out Due To Rain? As per AccuWeather, there are 69% chances of precipitation at 8 AM local time, which goes to 70% at 9 AM, the scheduled start of the first QF. The rain chances stay at 49% at 10 AM (local), 75% at 11 AM and 71% at 12 noon. The precipitation chances slip to 40% at 1 PM (local), the scheduled time for the India-Afghanistan toss, while they remain at 34% at 2 PM and 40% at 3 PM before a marginal increase to 58% at 4 PM local. They remain at 49% at 5 PM, 60% at 6 PM and 49% at 7 PM local time.In case the heavens open and wash the match out, India will be declared the winner against Afghanistan, as they are the higher-ranked T20I teams than their opponents.As per ICC rankings, India are No.1 in T20Is, while Afghanistan are ranked 10th. In 2023 Hangzhou, India had claimed gold by virtue of their higher seeding than gold medal match adversaries Afghanistan, after the final was washed out by rain.(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)