The match at Korogi Sports Park was abandoned without a toss as persistent rain made play impossible. Pakistan progressed because of their superior ICC T20I ranking.
Pakistan, along with India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, had received direct entry into the quarter-finals based on their rankings. Hong Kong reached the last eight after finishing second in Group B.
Hong Kong had two points from their group matches, while Malaysia topped the group with three points. Malaysia’s final group match against Oman was also abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Pakistan had arrived in Japan after a four-day training camp in Karachi, where the team prepared for the conditions expected at the Asian Games and worked on different match scenarios.
Their training session in Nisshin on Sunday was also affected by overnight rain and a wet outfield.
Sahibzada Farhan is leading Pakistan’s 15-member squad, which includes T20 internationals Saim Ayub, Abrar Ahmed, Haider Ali and Mohammad Wasim Jr. Mike Hesson is the team’s head coach.
Pakistan’s semi-final is scheduled for October 1, while the bronze-medal match and gold-medal final will be played on October 3.
