Pakistan qualified for their first-ever Asian Games men’s cricket gold-medal match after defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened semi-final on October 1, 2026. The victory at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin ends a sequence where Pakistan failed to reach the final in the 2010, 2014, and 2023 editions of the tournament.
Persistent rain in Nagoya reduced the knockout fixture to a 13-overs-per-side contest. Batting first, Bangladesh posted 111/7, led by Towhid Hridoy’s 42 off 25 balls. Pakistan’s Sufyan Moqim took 3/26 to restrict the scoring rate during the middle overs.
Pakistan’s chase turned in the 10th over when Abdul Samad faced Mustafizur Rahman. Samad struck 22 runs in the over, shifting the required run rate from 14.5 down to a manageable level. Samad remained unbeaten on 30 from 15 deliveries to secure the win.
Opening batter Saim Ayub stated that the team’s focus remains on the tournament result rather than the opponent. “To be honest, we don’t really care about who will win and who will reach the final. All we care about is winning the final, no matter who we are playing against,” Ayub said.
Pakistan will face India in the gold-medal match on October 3. India reached the final earlier on October 1 by defeating Sri Lanka by 124 runs. The final is scheduled to begin at 13:30 local time (JST) at the Korogi Sports Park.
