Pakistan vs Hong Kong at the Asian Games: cricket quarter-final Monday 28 September, 5am PKT

Update, Saturday 26 September 2026, 10:45pm PKT: Pakistan will play Hong Kong, China. The group stage ended on Saturday and Pakistan's quarter-final opponent is Hong Kong, China, on Monday 28 September at 5am Pakistan time (9am in Japan) at Korogi Sports Park, ARY News reported. Rain settled both groups: Japan and Oman went out after washouts. Malaysia topped Group B after beating Hong Kong by eight wickets, and Hong Kong went through in second place with two points; Nepal won Group A ahead of Afghanistan.

The quarter-finals are now:

• Mon 28 Sep, 5am PKT: Pakistan v Hong Kong, China
• Mon 28 Sep: India v Afghanistan
• Tue 29 Sep: Sri Lanka v Nepal
• Tue 29 Sep: Bangladesh v Malaysia

If Pakistan beat Hong Kong they play a semi-final on Thursday 1 October.

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Pakistan's men begin their Asian Games cricket campaign on Monday 28 September in the first quarter-final at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi. The start is 9am in Japan, which is 5am in Pakistan.

Pakistan had a bye through the group stage. Their opponent, Hong Kong, China, came through Group B in second place.

The full men's schedule, in Pakistan time

There are two sessions a day, not one. The first match starts 9am local (5am PKT), the second 2pm local (10am PKT).

Japan is four hours ahead of Pakistan, so every 9am local start is a 5am alarm here and every 2pm local start is 10am.

Pakistan v India is possible, and Hesson has said so

Head coach Mike Hesson said on Wednesday that Pakistan are preparing for a possible clash with India at these Games.

The bracket is why. Pakistan are in the first quarter-final on Monday and India in the second on the same morning. If both win, they do not meet in the semi-final, they meet in the final on Saturday 3 October at 10am Pakistan time. If both lose their quarter-finals they could still meet in the bronze play-off at 5am that day.

Hesson also said this week that India are the benchmark and Pakistan's challenge is to catch up to that, which is a more candid assessment than head coaches usually give in the week of a tournament.

The coaching staff changes after this

Assistant coach and bowling lead Ashley Noffke leaves Pakistan when these Games end, to become head coach of the Netherlands on a two-year contract. His PCB contract had run to June 2027. He stays through the tournament, so the bowling group he has worked with is intact for the quarter-final. After that Pakistan need a new bowling lead. Full detail in our story on Noffke's departure.

Who Pakistan could face

Six teams are playing for the four group places that feed the quarter-finals: Afghanistan, Nepal and Japan in Group A, and Hong Kong, Oman and Malaysia in Group B. Afghanistan are the side nobody in the draw wants early, and Oman have the most T20 international experience of the Group B three.

By Saturday evening the bracket will be filled in. Until then Pakistan are preparing for a knockout against an opponent they will know for less than 48 hours.

Pakistan already have a cricket medal

The women's team took bronze on Tuesday morning, beating Bangladesh by 31 runs. Pakistan made 145 for 8, Fatima Sana top-scoring with 45, and Bangladesh finished on 114 for 7 with Umm-e-Hani taking 3 for 10. India beat Sri Lanka by 147 runs in the women's final for gold.

That sets the men a clear target: Pakistan have never won an Asian Games men's cricket gold, and three wins from the quarter-final would do it.

How to watch

The women's matches were carried on PTV Sports and Tamasha on JazzWorld. Check listings on the day for the men's quarter-final, because coverage at these Games has moved between the Olympic Council of Asia feed and local rights holders.

We update scores and status on our Asian Games living page as each match finishes.

One thing to note about the format

This is a T20 event with a short run-up and no second chances after the group stage. A quarter-final on a pitch nobody in the squad has played on, at 9am with dew still about, is a coin-toss kind of morning. Pakistan's bye means their first competitive hit of the tournament is a knockout.

Last updated 23 September 2026, 7pm PKT.