Pakistan secured their place in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final after beating Bangladesh by six wickets at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Thursday, October 1. Bangladesh will play the bronze-medal match on Sunday, while Pakistan will face the winner of India and Sri Lanka in the final.
Chasing 112 in 13 overs, Pakistan reached 112/4 in 11.3 overs in a rain-shortened semi-final. Bangladesh reduced the Sahibzada Farhan-led side to 53/4, but Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad helped Pakistan regain momentum. The duo added an unbeaten 59-run partnership off 32 balls for the fifth wicket.
Towhid Hridoy Leads Bangladesh’s Fightback After Early Collapse
The Men in Green won the toss and opted to bowl after rain reduced the match to 13 overs per side. Bangladesh lost three wickets during the revised 3.5-over powerplay, with Tanzid Hasan Tamim scoring seven, Litton Das scoring two and Parvez Hossain Emon making one.
Saif Hassan was then trapped lbw for 19, leaving Bangladesh at 45/4. Towhid Hridoy responded with an aggressive 42 off 25 balls, hitting four sixes and two fours. He added 53 runs with Mosaddek Hossain, who scored 11 off 16, to revive the innings.
Both batters fell in the 11th over, but Mahedi Hasan provided a late boost with an unbeaten eight off four balls. Bangladesh finished on 111/7, with Sufyan Moqim leading the attack with 3/26 from three overs. Arafat Minhas also claimed 2/23, while Saim Ayub returned figures of 1/3 from two overs.
Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz Guide Pakistan Into Asian Games Final
Pakistan also lost early wickets during the chase. Captain Sahibzada Farhan fell for one in the opening over, while Maaz Sadaqat scored 15 off seven and Saim Ayub made 21 off 12. Usman Khan added 14 off nine before Pakistan slipped to 53/4 after 6.1 overs.
Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad then took control of the chase. The pair attacked the loose deliveries and added an unbeaten 59 runs for the fifth wicket. Samad finished with 30* off 15 balls, including five fours and a six, while Hasan remained unbeaten on 27 off 22, with two fours and two sixes.
During the 10th over, Mustafizur Rahman conceded 23 runs. Bangladesh's bowlers struggled to contain the scoring rate after that over. Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Rishad Hossain took one wicket each, but Bangladesh could not defend their total.
India Face Sri Lanka for Place in Asian Games Final
The defending champions India will take on Sri Lanka in the second semi-final. India have selected a full-strength T20I squad, while Sri Lanka have brought a second-string side led by Sahan Arachchige.
Neither team played a quarter-final after their respective matches were washed out by rain. As the higher-seeded teams, India and Sri Lanka advanced directly to the semi-finals.
India began Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy with T20I series defeats against Ireland and England but responded with 3-0 series wins over Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. Their match against Japan also provided valuable experience of the conditions in Nisshin, despite India narrowly winning the rain-affected contest.
Sri Lanka will draw confidence from Japan’s recent performance against India. Arachchige captained Sri Lanka in their only T20I during the 2023 Asian Games. The winner will face Pakistan in the gold-medal match, while the losing side will meet Bangladesh in the bronze-medal playoff.
