The quarter-finals line-up for the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games has been confirmed, with Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka joining the knockout stage after receiving automatic entry as the tournament’s top-seeded teams.

Pakistan will face Hong Kong in the first quarter-final on September 28, while India take on Afghanistan later the same day. Nepal meet Sri Lanka on September 29 before Bangladesh play Malaysia in the fourth quarter-final.

The four teams that advanced through the group stage were Afghanistan and Nepal from Group A, while Malaysia and Hong Kong progressed from Group B.

The group stage, however, was disrupted by rain, with the weather now threatening to play a major role in determining the semi-finalists.

Japan’s final Group A match against Nepal could not be completed because of rain, while Malaysia’s game against Oman in Group B was abandoned without a ball being bowled. The results left Japan and Oman eliminated from the competition.

Forecasts suggest further interruptions could be possible during the quarter-finals. Rain is forecast for both Monday and Tuesday, the two days on which the knockout matches are scheduled.

The outlook is more encouraging for the latter stages of the competition, with conditions expected to be more favourable for cricket on Thursday, when the semi-finals are scheduled, and Saturday, when the medal playoffs will take place.

India enter the knockout stage as defending champions after winning the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. They defeated Afghanistan in the final, while Bangladesh claimed the bronze medal after beating Pakistan in the third-place playoff.