The Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semi-final lineup is now complete after rain washed out all four quarter-finals.
Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the first semi-final on Thursday. Meanwhile, India will meet Sri Lanka in the second match.
None of the quarter-finals could begin because of persistent rain. As a result, the four pre-tournament seeded teams advanced to the last four based on their rankings.
Pakistan to Face Bangladesh
Pakistan are scheduled to play Bangladesh at 9am local time on Thursday.
The match will take place at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. Later in the day, India will face Sri Lanka at the same venue. That second semi-final is scheduled for 2pm.
Both matches will determine the finalists for Saturday’s gold-medal contest.
The losing teams will also have a chance to claim a medal. They will meet in the bronze-medal playoff before the gold-medal match.
Rain Could Still Affect Semi-Finals
Weather could remain a factor on Thursday. However, the forecast suggests conditions may improve enough for the semi-finals to go ahead.
The tournament rules include a Super Over if a semi-final ends in a tie. However, the rules also cover situations where weather prevents the match or Super Over from being completed.
In that situation, the higher-seeded team will advance to the final.
Pakistan have the higher seed against Bangladesh. India also hold the higher seed in their match against Sri Lanka.
Therefore, a weather-affected semi-final could be decided by the teams’ pre-tournament rankings rather than additional play.
Final Could End With Shared Gold
The playing conditions also include a special provision for the gold-medal match.
If rain or other weather conditions prevent the final from being completed, both finalists will share the gold medal.
That possibility highlights the unusual impact weather has had on the tournament.
So far, none of the four semi-finalists have played a single ball in the competition. All four reached the semi-finals without taking part in a completed quarter-final.
Other Teams Finish Their Campaigns
Nepal, Afghanistan, Malaysia and Hong Kong, China, entered the quarter-finals after progressing through the group stage.
However, their campaigns have now ended.
Each team finished with one win, one defeat and one abandoned match. The rain-affected schedule therefore played a major role in determining the final tournament lineup.
Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka will now prepare for the semi-finals. With medals at stake, Thursday’s matches are expected to provide the first completed cricket action for the four top-seeded teams.
