NAGOYA:Pakistan stormed into the Asian Games men’s cricket final on Thursday, beating Bangladesh by six wickets before India crushed Sri Lanka by 124 runs to set up a gold-medal showdown between the arch-rivals.
The final will be played on Saturday at the Korogi Athletic Park Stadium, with Pakistan reaching the title decider for the first time in the Asian Games. India, the world champions, will be seeking back-to-back gold medals after winning the title in Hangzhou three years ago.
Pakistan’s semi-final was reduced to 13 overs a side because of a wet outfield, with Bangladesh posting 111-7 after being sent in to bat.
Pakistan’s bowlers made an early impact as Bangladesh slipped to 21-3 and then 45-4 in the sixth over. Towhid Hridoy, however, led a recovery with an aggressive 42 off 25 balls, hitting two fours and four sixes.
Sufyan Moqim was Pakistan’s most successful bowler with 3-26 as Bangladesh reached 111-7 from their 13 overs.
Pakistan lost four wickets while chasing the revised target but Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz settled the contest with an unbeaten 59-run partnership from 32 balls.
Samad finished with 30 not out off 15 balls while Nawaz made 27 without being dismissed. Samad produced the decisive assault in the 10th over, when Bangladesh still had Pakistan under pressure at 76-4. After Nawaz took a single from the first ball, Samad hit a six over long-on and then struck four consecutive fours off Mustafizur Rahman to collect 22 runs from the over.
Pakistan were left needing only 13 from 18 balls and completed the chase with nine balls to spare.
“We don’t really care about who will win and who will reach the final,” Pakistan batsman Saim Ayub, who made 21, said after the match.
“All we care about is winning the final, no matter who we are playing against.”
India later secured their place in the final with a comprehensive victory over Sri Lanka, who were bowled out for just 45 in 9.5 overs while chasing 170.
Jasprit Bumrah set the tone for India with two wickets in his first over, reducing Sri Lanka to 2-2. Further wickets and three run-outs followed as the Sri Lankan innings disintegrated.
Nuwanidu Fernando, who made 15, was Sri Lanka’s only batsman to reach double figures. Abhishek Sharma took two wickets for two runs from five balls as India completed Sri Lanka’s lowest total in a men’s T20 international.
India had earlier posted 169-7 after being asked to bat on a sharply turning pitch.
Ishan Kishan anchored the innings with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls, including five sixes, while 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi marked his Asian Games debut with a brisk 38 off 21 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes.
The semi-finalists had reached the last four on the basis of their international rankings after all four quarter-finals were washed out by rain.
India’s victory also set up a repeat of the rivalry that has defined much of Asian cricket, although the teams have met only rarely in recent years outside major international tournaments. Pakistan and India will now contest the gold medal, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will meet for bronze, also on Saturday.
Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026
