Pakistan are through to the semi-finals of the Asian Games men’s cricket tournament without bowling a ball, after persistent rain washed out their quarter-final against Hong Kong, China, in Nisshin, Japan, on Monday.
India also advanced after their quarter-final against Afghanistan was abandoned before the toss, setting up the possibility of a Pakistan and India final later this week.
Called off without a toss
The first quarter-final, at Korogi Sports Park, never got under way. Incessant showers left large parts of the ground under covers, and the match was called off at the scheduled time of the toss.
Under the tournament rules, the better-ranked side goes through when a knockout match is abandoned. Pakistan, one of four seeded teams along with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, progressed on the strength of their higher ICC ranking, and Hong Kong’s campaign came to an end.
The seeded sides entered the tournament directly at the quarter-final stage, while Hong Kong reached the last eight by finishing second in Group B. The washed-out match would have been the third T20 meeting between the two teams: Pakistan won both previous encounters, at the 2022 Asia Cup and the 2023 Asian Games.
India through too
India’s quarter-final against Afghanistan was also washed out before the toss, and India went through as the higher seed. It was another rain-hit Asian Games meeting for the two sides: at the 2023 Games in Hangzhou, Afghanistan had to settle for silver when the final against India was abandoned after 18.2 overs of the first innings, with India awarded gold as the higher-ranked team.
The road to the final
Both semi-finals will be played on Thursday, October 1:
| Semi-final | Match |
|---|---|
| First | Pakistan vs winners of Bangladesh v Malaysia |
| Second | India vs winners of Nepal v Sri Lanka |
The two remaining quarter-finals are on Tuesday. Sri Lanka, the fourth seed, will also go through if their match against Nepal is rained off. The bronze-medal match and the final are scheduled for Saturday, October 3.
Farhan’s young squad
Pakistan are led by Sahibzada Farhan, with Mike Hesson as head coach. The team arrived in Japan after a four-day camp in Karachi, where the players worked on the conditions expected at the Games and practised different match scenarios. Their training session in Nisshin on Sunday was also disrupted by overnight rain and a wet outfield.
Pakistan squad: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).
The squad includes several T20 internationals, among them Saim Ayub and Abrar Ahmed, who recently became the top-ranked T20I bowler in the world.
A good Games so far for Pakistan
The men’s team will be hoping to add to Pakistan’s medal count in Japan. The women’s cricket team have already won bronze, the squash players Noor Zaman and Ashab Irfan took two more bronze medals and the volleyball team opened with a win over Kazakhstan.
Why it matters
Reaching the last four without playing means Pakistan go into Thursday’s semi-final fresh but without match practice in Japan’s wet conditions. Two more wins would bring Pakistan’s men their first Asian Games cricket gold, and if India also win their semi-final, the tournament would end with the kind of Pakistan and India final that fans across the region would be glad to see.
This article draws on reporting published by Geo News and The Express Tribune.
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