Pakistan chase down a revised target of 112 in 11.3 overs to win the rain-affected semifinal by six wickets and reach their first men’s Asian Games final
Nisshin, Oct 2026 : Pakistan stormed into the men’s cricket final at the Asian Games after defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-affected semifinal at Korogi Sports Park here on Thursday.
Chasing a revised target of 112 from 13 overs, Pakistan reached 112/4 in 11.3 overs, with nine deliveries to spare. Abdul Samad top-scored with an unbeaten 30 off 15 balls, while Hasan Nawaz remained not out on 27 off 22 balls as Pakistan completed the chase after a tense contest.
The match was delayed by persistent rain and a slushy outfield, despite clearer conditions later in the day. The tournament had already been heavily affected by weather, with all four quarterfinals washed out. The semifinal was eventually reduced to 13 overs per side.
The victory takes Pakistan into their first men’s cricket final at the Asian Games. Pakistan had won only a bronze medal when the sport featured in the 2010 edition. Bangladesh, meanwhile, were the inaugural Asian Games champions and later finished third in the 2014 and 2022 editions.
With cracks appearing on the pitch, the surface offered considerable assistance to the spinners, who played a decisive role for both sides.
Pakistan’s bowlers kept Bangladesh under pressure throughout their innings. Saim Ayub was particularly impressive, conceding just three runs from his two overs while also taking a wicket. Sufyan Moqim claimed three wickets for 26 runs, while Arafat Minhas picked up two for 23.
Bangladesh lost wickets regularly during the powerplay. Tanzid Hasan Tamim was dismissed for seven, captain Litton Das scored two and Parvez Hossain Emon fell for one. Saif Hassan made 19 from 17 balls before being dismissed leg before wicket by Moqim.
At 45/4 after 6.3 overs, Bangladesh needed a substantial recovery. Towhid Hridoy provided exactly that, producing an aggressive 42 off 25 balls. His innings included four sixes and two fours and gave Bangladesh a competitive total on a difficult batting surface.
Mosaddek Hossain contributed 11 from 16 deliveries as Bangladesh eventually finished on 111/7 from their allotted 13 overs.
Pakistan also endured an early setback in the chase when Mahedi Hasan removed Sahibzada Farhan in the second over. However, Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan and Ayub produced useful cameos to keep Pakistan within reach of the target.
Sadaqat scored 15 off seven balls, Usman made 14 from nine, while Ayub added 21 from 12 deliveries.
Pakistan were reduced to 76/4 before Samad and Nawaz changed the momentum dramatically. The pair took 23 runs from Mustafizur Rahman’s 10th over, with Samad contributing 22 of those runs.
That over left Pakistan needing only 13 runs from 18 balls. The pressure eased considerably, and Nawaz finished the contest in the 12th over by striking the winning boundary.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 112/4 in 11.3 overs (Abdul Samad 30*, Hasan Nawaz 27*; Rishad Hossain 1/12, Mahedi Hasan 1/17) beat Bangladesh 111/7 in 13 overs (Towhid Hridoy 42, Saif Hassan 19; Sufyan Moqim 3/26, Arafat Minhas 2/23) by six wickets.
