India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh have been granted direct entry into the men’s quarterfinals of the Asian Games cricket tournament, with the draw announced ahead of the competition scheduled to begin later this month. The men’s event, featuring 10 teams, will take place in Nagoya starting September 24.
The defending champions India, along with the other three seeded teams, will bypass the preliminary rounds and start their campaigns directly at the knockout stage. The remaining six teams — Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, and Oman — will compete in two groups during the preliminary round. Group A will include Afghanistan, Japan, and Nepal, while Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Oman make up Group B. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals to face the seeded sides.
In the women’s competition, scheduled from September 17 to 22, holders India are set to face host nation Japan in the quarterfinals. Bangladesh will meet China, Sri Lanka will play Malaysia, and Pakistan will take on Thailand. Both men’s and women’s tournaments will be contested in the Twenty20 format. India secured gold medals in both categories at the 2022 Asian Games held in Hangzhou.
Separately, Afghanistan has named a strong squad for an upcoming five-match One Day International (ODI) series against Ireland. The series, which begins in Bready on August 5 and wraps up in Belfast on August 15, forms part of Afghanistan’s preparation for the 2027 World Cup to be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
The squad features the return of fast bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Yamin Ahmadzai, while leading spinner Rashid Khan will spearhead the spin attack. However, fellow spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman remains sidelined due to injury. Notably absent are fast bowlers Fareed Malik and Bilal Sami, who were part of Afghanistan’s previous series against India, and veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, who is unavailable due to his participation in a Twenty20 league in Guyana. Rahmat Shah has been appointed as captain, succeeding Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Afghanistan’s ODI squad includes Rahmat Shah (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Nangyal Kharotai, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Yamin Ahmadzai, Saleem Safi, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Zia Ur Rahman. The series against Ireland will serve as a key opportunity for the team to build momentum ahead of the global tournament next year.