NISSHIN, Japan: Pakistan have reached the gold medal match of the 2026 Asian Games men’s cricket competition after a strong batting finish from Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz helped them defeat Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-affected semi-final on Wednesday.
PAKISTAN BEAT BANGLADESH IN THE SEMIFINAL! 🇵🇰
Pakistan qualify for the Asian Games 2026 final!
Abdul Samad the hero with the bat — 30 off 15 balls!
FINAL — OCTOBER 3! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Yu4OmrMjqm
— Rehan 56 (@imrehan056) October 1, 2026
The match at the Aichi Prefectural Korogi Sports Park was reduced to 13 overs per side due to rain, with Pakistan winning the toss and electing to field first.
Hridoy leads Bangladesh recovery
Bangladesh posted 111-7 in their allotted 13 overs after facing early setbacks.
Tawhid Hridoy was the standout performer with the bat, scoring 42 runs from 25 deliveries. His aggressive innings included two fours and four sixes as he helped Bangladesh recover after Pakistan’s bowlers had put pressure on their top order.
Bangladesh lost key wickets early, but Hridoy’s counter-attacking approach helped them reach a competitive total in the shortened contest.
For Pakistan, left-arm spinner Sufiyan Muqeem delivered a match-winning bowling spell, taking three wickets for 26 runs in his three overs.
Arafat Minhas also played an important role with the ball, claiming two wickets for 23 runs, while Saim Ayub took one wicket and produced an economical spell of 1-3 from two overs.
Pakistan chase down target in 11.3 overs
Pakistan needed 112 runs from 13 overs and completed the chase in 11.3 overs, finishing at 112-4.
The chase did not begin smoothly as captain Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed for one run. However, contributions from Maaz Sadaqat, Usman Khan and Saim Ayub kept Pakistan in contention.
Maaz scored 15 from seven balls, Usman added 14 from nine deliveries, and Saim Ayub struck 21 off 12 balls, including two sixes.
Pakistan were reduced to 54-4 before Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz produced a match-defining partnership.
Samad and Nawaz deliver decisive finish
Abdul Samad smashed an unbeaten 30 from just 15 balls, hitting five fours and one six, while Hasan Nawaz remained not out on 27 from 22 deliveries with two fours and two sixes.
The pair added an unbeaten 58-run partnership to take Pakistan over the line with nine balls remaining.
Bangladesh’s bowlers claimed four wickets, with Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman taking one each.
Pakistan secure gold medal opportunity
The victory booked Pakistan’s place in the Asian Games cricket final, where they will compete for the gold medal.
The semi-final win highlighted Pakistan’s ability to recover under pressure, with their bowlers restricting Bangladesh before Samad and Nawaz completed a successful chase in the shortened T20 contest.
