Pakistan beat Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened Asian Games 2026 cricket semi-final on Thursday, booking a spot in Saturday’s gold-medal final against arch-rivals India. The match at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan was reduced to 13 overs per side after a wet outfield delayed the start, and Pakistan chased down the target with 1.3 overs to spare.
Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan won the toss and chose to field first. Bangladesh posted 111 for 7 in their 13 overs, built around a quickfire 42 off 25 balls from Tawhid Hridoy, who hit four sixes before falling. Pakistan’s bowling attack kept the total in check through the middle overs: left-arm wrist-spinner Sufyan Moqim returned 3 for 26 in his three overs, while Arafat Minhas took 2 for 23, according to ESPNcricinfo’s scorecard.
In reply, Pakistan were pushed by Bangladesh’s bowlers through the early overs before an unbroken 40-run stand between Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz settled the chase. Samad finished unbeaten on 30 off just 15 balls with five fours and a six, while Nawaz made 27 not out off 22 and sealed the win with a boundary in the final over. Pakistan closed on 112 for 4 in 11.3 overs.
The result means Pakistan became the first side to reach this year’s men’s cricket final at the Asian Games, as reported in PakDaily’s preview of the fixture earlier this week.
In the second semi-final at the same venue, India demolished Sri Lanka by 124 runs to complete the final line-up. Opener Ishan Kishan anchored India’s innings with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls as India posted 169 for 7 in their 20 overs, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi adding a brisk 38. Sri Lanka’s reply collapsed to 45 all out in 9.5 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah striking twice in his opening over and Axar Patel picking up key wickets in the powerplay to blow the chase apart.
| Semi-Final | Result | Score | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh vs Pakistan | Pakistan won | BAN 111/7 (13), PAK 112/4 (11.3) | 6 wickets |
| India vs Sri Lanka | India won | IND 169/7 (20), SL 45 all out (9.5) | 124 runs |
The gold-medal final between Pakistan and India is scheduled for Saturday, October 3, at Korogi Sports Park, with a start time of 9:30am PKT (10:00am IST, 1:30pm Japan local time). It will be the two neighbours’ first meeting in the men’s cricket competition at this edition of the Asian Games, adding another high-stakes chapter to one of sport’s fiercest rivalries, this time with an Olympic-style gold medal on the line rather than bilateral points.
Pakistan’s squad for the tournament is led by Sahibzada Farhan and includes Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raza, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maaz Sadaqat, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Saad Masood, Saim Ayub, Sufyan Moqim and wicketkeeper Usman Khan.
Our Opinion
A Pakistan-India cricket final was always going to be the marquee fixture of these Games regardless of form or seeding, and both sides have arrived there in contrasting but equally emphatic fashion — Pakistan grinding out a tight chase against Bangladesh, India blowing Sri Lanka away inside ten overs; the bigger question for organisers, though, is whether the tournament’s recurring weather disruptions, which have already forced a reduced-overs semi-final and multiple washouts earlier in the competition, will hold off long enough to let Saturday’s final be decided on the field rather than by a tiebreaker rule.
