Bangladesh and Pakistan will meet in the first semi-final of the men's cricket competition at the Asian Games on 1 October 2026, as confirmed by the tournament bracket on the official Asian Games website. The match is scheduled to be held in Nisshin, Japan, with the winner advancing to the final.
Bangladesh reached the semi-finals without playing a ball after rain washed out their quarter-final against Malaysia. According to the tournament rules, the higher-seeded team advances if no play is possible, and Bangladesh had topped their group earlier in the competition. As Jarrad Shearer, the director of sport for the Games, wrote on X: "A year of my life on this, and it rains."
Pakistan also advanced without needing to play, as their quarter-final against Thailand was abandoned due to the weather. Like Bangladesh, they progressed as the higher-ranked team after finishing first in their group.
The two teams have a recent history at the Asian Games. They last met in the bronze medal match in October 2023, when Bangladesh chased down Pakistan's total to win the bronze, thanks to Yasir Ali, who finished with 16 in the final over.
Bangladesh will be led by Litton Das, with the bowling attack expected to feature Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain. One key absence is Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was ruled out of the Games due to fever and infection.
Pakistan will be without several of their most experienced players, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan. They will instead rely on Sahibzada Farhan, who captained Pakistan to the T20 World Cup 2026 title earlier this year and finished as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 383 runs, including three fifties and a highest score of 96.
Both teams are out of practice. Bangladesh have not played since their group stage win over South Korea, while Pakistan's last match was their victory over the Maldives in the group stage. Neither side has faced a full-strength opponent in the tournament so far.
Bangladesh have a strong record at the Asian Games, winning gold in 2010 and bronze in both 2014 and 2023. Pakistan, meanwhile, left the last edition of the Games without a medal.
The weather has been the biggest story of the tournament so far, with rain affecting multiple matches and causing frustration for players, officials and fans. However, the forecast for 1 October is currently more favourable than in recent days.
The semi-final is scheduled to begin at 9:00 local time (5:30 in India) on 1 October at the Nisshin Cricket Ground. The other semi-final between India and Sri Lanka will be played on the same day.