Pakistan through to Asian Games semi-finals after washout against Hong Kong

The first quarter-final of the men's Asian Games 2026 between Pakistan and Hong Kong was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled. Pakistan, as per the playing conditions for the tournament, were through to the semi-finals on the basis of being ranked higher than Hong Kong in the ICC rankings and will play the winners of the fourth quarter-final, between Bangladesh and Malaysia, on Thursday.

Play was called off at the time of the toss because of incessant showers in Nisshin throughout the day. The broadcast showed a large part of the ground under covers as the heavy rain continued to pour at the venue.

While Pakistan were one of the four seeded teams - the others being India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh - to directly qualify for the quarter-finals, Hong Kong had made it to the quarter-finals by finishing second in the three-team Group B after beating Malaysia by eight wickets and losing to Oman by 41 runs.

This would have been the third T20I between these two sides. Pakistan had beaten Hong Kong at the 2022 Asia Cup and 2023 Asian Games.