Nepal, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Oman qualified for the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Japan after advancing from the qualifying tournament in Singapore.
Nepal and Malaysia emerged from Group A, while Hong Kong and Oman progressed from Group B to claim the remaining places in the 10-team tournament, which will be held from September 24 to October 3.
Nepal topped Group A after winning both of their matches. Their path was eased by Qatar’s withdrawal before the start of the competition, while Malaysia secured qualification with a crucial victory over China in their opening game.
Hong Kong and Oman both finished unbeaten in Group B and will meet to determine the semi-final pairings. The winner will face Malaysia, while the loser will take on Nepal.
The four qualifiers join Asia’s five Full Member nations — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka — who received automatic entry to the tournament, along with hosts Japan.
Cricket returns to the Asian Games programme with the men’s competition beginning on Sept. 24 and concluding with the gold-medal match on Oct. 3.
