Cricket has been a part of only three Asian Games till date. The first edition took place in 2010, the second in 2014 and the third in 2023 (2022 Asian Games). Cricket is played as both men’s and women’s event.
The sport is played in the T20 format. A total of 17 nations have participated in the men’s event whereas 13 nations have participated in the women’s event. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have won the gold medal in the men’s event once each. In the women’s event, Pakistan have won the gold medal twice.
Selection of the teams is based on the rankings of the teams in the ICC T20 International standings 3 months before the Asian Games are scheduled. Before the games, teams announce a 15-member squad. Out of these 15, eleven are selected to play before each match.
The top five teams directly advance to the quarterfinals. Remaining nine teams are divided into three groups of three teams each. In each group, teams play each other in round-robin format. A win is worth two points, whereas no points are deducted for a loss. If there is a tie or no result, then both teams share one point. If the number of points of two teams are same, then net run rate decides the final standing.
The teams who top their respective groups are later placed in the quarterfinals. The subsequent rounds are all knockout rounds. The two losing teams of the semi-final matches face each other for the bronze medal match.
The above-mentioned format is followed in the 2022 Asian Games. However, depending on the number of entries of the participating teams, this format can vary in future editions.
