Cricket returns to the Asian Games men's competition from September 24 to October 3, 2026, at the Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Ten nations will compete in the Twenty20 format, marking the sport's fourth appearance at the Games.
Format: how the tournament works
Seeding for the men's event was determined using the ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings as of July 23, 2026, followed by an official draw on the same day. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka received direct byes into the quarter-finals as the four highest-seeded teams.
The remaining six teams were split into two preliminary groups of three, playing a single round-robin from September 24 to 26. According to the official draw, Afghanistan, Japan and Nepal make up one preliminary group, while Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman make up the other. The top two finishers from each group advance to the quarter-finals to join the four seeded teams, with the tournament progressing through semi-finals to bronze and gold medal matches by October 3.
Pakistan's squad
Pakistan named a 15-player squad for the tournament, led by Sahibzada Farhan as captain and Abdul Samad as vice-captain. Notably, neither Babar Azam nor Shaheen Shah Afridi was included.
- Sahibzada Farhan (captain)
- Abdul Samad (vice-captain)
- Abrar Ahmed
- Ahmed Daniyal
- Akif Javed
- Ali Raza
- Arafat Minhas
- Haider Ali
- Hasan Nawaz
- Maaz Sadaqat
- Mohammad Salman Mirza
- Saad Masood
- Saim Ayub
- Sufyan Moqim
- Usman Khan (wicket-keeper)
As the defending direct-qualifier alongside India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Pakistan will enter the competition straight into the quarter-final stage without needing to play the preliminary round.
Where to watch in Pakistan
Broadcast rights for the Asian Games cricket competition in the Pakistani market had not been confirmed as of publication. Sony Sports Network and the SonyLiv app hold the broadcast rights for the Indian market, but the Asian Games falls under the Olympic Council of Asia rather than the Asian Cricket Council, meaning PTV Sports' existing rights agreement for ACC events - which covers the Asia Cups and other ACC tournaments through 2027 - does not automatically extend to this event. This section will be updated once a Pakistan broadcaster is confirmed.
What happens next
India are the defending gold medallists in the men's event from the previous Asian Games. With the preliminary round beginning September 24 and the tournament running through the gold medal match on October 3, Pakistan's first fixture will come once the quarter-final draw is finalised following the preliminary stage.
