Pakistan and India have set up a blockbuster men’s cricket final at the 2026 Asian Games after contrasting semi-final victories over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Nisshin on Thursday.
Pakistan reached the final first, overcoming Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened 13-over contest at Korogi Sports Park. Chasing 112, Pakistan were in trouble at 53-4 before Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz produced an unbeaten 59-run partnership to take their side home with nine balls to spare.
Samad provided the match-winning acceleration, smashing an unbeaten 30 from just 15 balls, including five fours and a six. His decisive moment came in the 10th over when he took 22 runs from five deliveries against Mustafizur Rahman, hitting a six followed by four consecutive boundaries.
Hasan Nawaz complemented him with an unbeaten 27 off 22 balls, while Saim Ayub contributed 21 from 12 deliveries. Earlier, Maaz Sadaqat made a quick 15 off seven balls on his T20I debut.
Bangladesh had posted 111-7 from their 13 overs after being asked to bat first. Towhid Hridoy top-scored with 42 off 25 balls, including four sixes and two fours, while Saif Hassan added 19.
Pakistan’s spinners kept Bangladesh from building sustained momentum. Sufyan Moqim claimed 3-26, Arafat Minhas took 2-23 and Saim Ayub returned economical figures of 1-3 from his two overs.
India then secured the second final spot with a dominant 124-run victory over Sri Lanka.
Batting first, India posted 169-7 in their 20 overs, with Ishan Kishan leading the way with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls. Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also made an impact, scoring 38 from 21 deliveries as India recovered from an early wobble.
Sri Lanka’s chase quickly collapsed as Jasprit Bumrah struck twice in the opening over. Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma also claimed two wickets each as Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 45 in 9.5 overs.
The results have set up an India-Pakistan gold-medal showdown on Saturday, October 3, at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. It will be the first time the two sides meet in the men’s Asian Games cricket final.
The quarter-finals of the men’s competition were abandoned because of rain, with the four higher-ranked teams — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — progressing directly to the semi-finals.
Scores in Brief
Pakistan beat Bangladesh by six wickets
Bangladesh: 111-7 (13 overs)
Pakistan: 112-4 (11.3 overs)
India beat Sri Lanka by 124 runs
India: 169-7 (20 overs)
Sri Lanka: 45 all out (9.5 overs)
