ACC announces men's, women's Asian Games cricket schedule

NISSHIN: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced the schedule for the men’s and women’s cricket competitions at the upcoming Asian Games, with matches set to be played from September 17 to October 3.

All cricket matches will be played in the T20 format at Paloma Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya.

Pakistan’s women’s team will begin its campaign on September 17 against Thailand. The women’s semi-finals are scheduled for September 20, followed by the bronze-medal match and final on September 22.

In the men’s competition, the group stage will be held from September 24 to 26. Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are among the seeded teams that will enter the competition at the quarter-final stage.

Pakistan will play its quarter-final on September 28 against the team finishing second in Group B, while India will face the Group A runners-up on the same day.

Under the draw, India and Pakistan can meet only in the gold-medal match or the bronze-medal play-off, both scheduled for October 3. The men’s semi-finals will be played on October 1.

For the uninitiated, in the previous Asian Games men’s cricket competition, held in China in 2023, India were awarded the gold medal after the final against Afghanistan ended without a result. India claimed gold due to their higher seeding, while Afghanistan received the silver medal.

In the bronze-medal match, Pakistan suffered a six-wicket defeat against Bangladesh, with the Tigers securing third place.

Meanwhile, a similar outcome was witnessed in the women’s competition, with India winning the gold medal, Sri Lanka taking silver and Bangladesh securing bronze after defeating two-time gold medallists Pakistan.

Men's cricket schedule

Group stage

• Group A: Afghanistan, Japan, Nepal
• Group B: Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Oman

September 24

• 9:00am — Afghanistan vs Japan
• 2:00pm — Hong Kong vs Malaysia

September 25

• 9:00am — Hong Kong vs Oman
• 2:00pm — Afghanistan vs Nepal

September 26

• 9:00am — Japan vs Nepal
• 2:00pm — Malaysia vs Oman

Quarter-finals — September 28

• 9:00am — Pakistan vs B2
• 2:00pm — India vs A2

Quarter-finals — September 29

• 9:00am — Sri Lanka vs A1
• 2:00pm — Bangladesh vs B1

Knockout stage — October 1

• 9:00am — Semi-final 1
• 2:00pm — Semi-final 2

October 3

• 9:00am — Bronze-medal match
• 2:00pm — Final

Women's cricket schedule

Quarter-finals

September 17

• 9:00am — Bangladesh vs China
• 2:00pm — Pakistan vs Thailand

September 18

• 9:00am — Sri Lanka vs Malaysia
• 2:00pm — India vs Japan

Knockout stage

September 20

• 9:00am — Semi-final 1
• 2:00pm — Semi-final 2

September 22

• 9:00am — Bronze-medal match
• 2:00pm — Final