Nisshin, Sep 26 (IANS) : The quarterfinals line-up for the men’s cricket event at the Asian Games 2026 was confirmed after the Malaysia vs Oman Group B clash at the Korogi Sports Park was washed out here on Saturday.
The game was abandoned without even a toss, as the weather had also abandoned the preceding Nepal-Japan match earlier in the morning at the same venue. Following the latest wash-out, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and China have qualified for the quarterfinals from Group B.
Malaysia have finished on top of Group B with three points from two matches with an NRR of 2.950. Hong Kong, China came second with two points from as many games with a win and a loss. Their NRR tallied -0.075. Oman were third after losing their game to Hong Kong, China and saw their bleak hopes of a QF spot vanish following the Malaysia wash-out. They ended the league stage with a poor NRR of -2.050.
Hong Kong, China, will now face Pakistan in the first quarterfinal after a second-place finish in the group stage. The match is scheduled to take place on Monday morning at 5:30 AM IST.
Meanwhile, Malaysia will now face Bangladesh in the fourth quarterfinal for a place in the semis. The fourth QF will be held on Tuesday at 10 AM IST.
Meanwhile, Nepal and Afghanistan have booked their places in the quarterfinals from Group A after the rain washed out the Nepal-Japan game earlier on Saturday. Nepal were on 149/4 in 15 overs when rain washed the contest out.
It knocked Japan out of the race, although their poor NRR needed them a big win in any case. Nepal have topped the group with three points, while Afghanistan have two points from two matches with a win and a loss. The Afghans had lost to Nepal in their second match; meanwhile, Japan remained winless after a loss to Afghanistan and a washout against Nepal.
Afghanistan will now meet defending gold medallists India in the second quarterfinal, which is scheduled to take place at 10 AM IST on Monday. Nepal will face Sri Lanka in the third quarterfinal on Tuesday, which begins at 5:30 AM IST.
The winner of the first quarterfinal (Pakistan/Hong Kong, China) will face the winner of the fourth quarterfinal (Bangladesh/Malaysia) in the first semifinal. The winner of the second quarterfinal (India/Afghanistan) will meet the winner of the third quarterfinal (Sri Lanka/Nepal) in the other semifinal. Both the semis are scheduled to take place on October 1, followed by the medal matches on October 3.
