Bangladesh earn direct quarter-final spot at Asian Games cricket
Sports Desk
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have received direct entry into the men's cricket quarter-finals at the 2026 Asian Games.
The men's T20 tournament begins on September 24 in Nagoya with a six-team preliminary round to decide the remaining four quarter-finalists.
Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal were drawn in Group A, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman will compete in Group B. The top two teams from each group will progress to the knockout stage, where they will join the four seeded sides.
The women's competition, scheduled for September 17-22, will start at the quarter-final stage.
Bangladesh will open their campaign against China, while defending champions India face hosts Japan. Sri Lanka meet Malaysia, and Pakistan take on Thailand.
All matches in both competitions will be played in the T20 format.
At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, delayed until 2023 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, India won both the men's and women's cricket titles. The men's final against Afghanistan was washed out by rain, with India awarded the gold medal as the higher-seeded team. India's women defeated Sri Lanka in the final.
Bangladesh's men's team finished fourth after losing to Pakistan in the bronze-medal match. The women's side also fell short of a medal, losing to Pakistan in the third-place playoff.
