Cricket / Published update

Afghanistan and Malaysia open Asian Games men’s cricket with wins

Afghanistan beat Japan by 48 runs and Malaysia defeated Hong Kong, China by eight wickets in the two completed opening group matches of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 men’s cricket competition on 24 September.

SportsHub4U Research Desk Published: 25 September 2026 2 min read

Afghanistan and Malaysia open Asian Games men’s cricket with wins — Managed editorial artwork for this SportsHub4U story.

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Afghanistan and Malaysia began the men’s cricket competition at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 with completed group-stage victories on 24 September. Afghanistan defeated Japan by 48 runs, while Malaysia beat Hong Kong, China by eight wickets. Both fixtures were played in Nisshin.

Afghanistan posted 129/6 before bowling Japan out for 81 in 19.3 overs. Mohammad Akram made 34 in Afghanistan’s innings. In the defence, Arab Gul returned 4/8 and Nangeyalia Kharote took 3/19, turning Japan’s chase after the hosts had reached 53/3.

Malaysia’s win came after they limited Hong Kong, China to 81/9 in 20 overs. Pavandeep Singh took 3/11 and Muhammad Amir 3/12. Malaysia then recovered from two early wickets to reach 84/2 in 12 overs: Muhamad Syahadat finished 36 not out and Virandeep Singh 32 not out. The result was an eight-wicket win with 48 balls unused.

For wider context from the opening days of the Games, see Aichi-Nagoya 2026 opening results. Readers can inspect the verified scorecards at the [ICC’s Afghanistan–Japan match centre] and the [ICC’s Hong Kong, China–Malaysia match centre].

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