Asian Games 2026: Pakistan to face Bangladesh in cricket semi-final

Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the men’s cricket semi-final at the Asian Games 2026 after Tigers' quarter-final against Malaysia was abandoned without a ball being bowled in Nisshin, Japan, on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the quarter-final between Sri Lanka and Nepal was also called off due to rain, with Sri Lanka advancing to the semi-finals to face India.

Pakistan will take on Bangladesh on October 1, while India will meet Sri Lanka in the other semi-final on the same day.

Jarrad Shearer, the games' sports director, could not hide his disappointment after organisers spent an entire year converting a baseball diamond into a cricket venue, only to see minimal action.

"Cricket, like baseball, you can't play it in the rain. A year of my life on this, and it rains," Shearer said.

Bangladesh will be without Najmul Hossain Shanto after the batter was ruled out of the tournament due to a fever and infection.

Despite the washouts, Shearer remained optimistic the weather would clear in time for the top-tier cricket.

"Come tomorrow morning, it will be all hands on deck to dry up the areas that aren't under the covers. We've got some soppers, we've got some squeegees, some big old brooms, we've got sponges.

A day ago, Pakistan reached the semi-finals after their quarter-final against Hong Kong was abandoned without a ball being bowled, with competition rules sending the higher-seeded side through.

A few hours later, with rain in the air, India progressed against Afghanistan with no prospect of play for the same reason.

However, reports say the weather forecast for Nisshin is more favourable for the semi-finals on October 1 and the medal matches on October 3, raising hopes the fixtures will go ahead as scheduled.

— With additional input from Reuters