NISSHIN: Pakistan reached the Asian Games men’s cricket semi-finals on Monday after heavy rain washed out their quarter-final against Hong Kong, China, in Nisshin, Japan.
Persistent rain prevented any play at Korogi Sports Park. As a result, officials abandoned the match without a toss.
Pakistan advanced because they hold a higher ICC T20I ranking than Hong Kong.
The national side had entered the knockout stage directly alongside India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka because of their rankings. Meanwhile, Hong Kong earned a quarter-final place after finishing second in Group B.
Hong Kong’s Group Campaign
Hong Kong collected two points from their group matches, while Malaysia topped Group B with three points.
However, rain also disrupted Hong Kong’s final group match against Oman. The officials abandoned that game without a ball being bowled.
Pakistan also faced difficult weather conditions after arriving in Japan.
The team completed a four-day training camp in Karachi before travelling to Japan. During the camp, players worked on local conditions and practised different match scenarios.
Meanwhile, overnight rain affected Pakistan’s training session in Nisshin on Sunday. The wet outfield limited the team’s preparations ahead of the quarter-final.
Pakistan Prepare for Semi-Final
Sahibzada Farhan leads Pakistan’s 15-member squad in the Asian Games. The squad includes T20 internationals Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Haider Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jr.
Mike Hesson serves as Pakistan’s head coach for the tournament.
With the quarter-final washed out, Pakistan now turn their attention to the semi-finals.
The team will play its semi-final on October 1. Furthermore, the bronze-medal match and gold-medal final will take place on October 3.
