India and Pakistan will contest the men’s Asian Games cricket gold medal in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday, October 3, after winning their semifinals on Thursday. Defending champion India beat Sri Lanka by 124 runs, while Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-shortened match, according to the International Cricket Council and Olympic Council of Asia.
The final brings together two of cricket’s biggest rivals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Both semifinal matches took place at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin on October 1. The ICC said Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will play for bronze earlier on Saturday, before the gold medal contest.
India scored 169 for seven in its full 20 overs after losing two early wickets. Ishan Kishan struck an unbeaten 80 from 46 balls, including four fours and five sixes, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 38 from 21. The ICC said Kishan’s innings helped India recover from a difficult start and build a total that left Sri Lanka facing a demanding chase.
Sri Lanka then collapsed to 45 all out in 9.4 overs. Jasprit Bumrah took two wickets in the first over, and three Sri Lankan batters were run out. The ICC said Nuwanidu Fernando was the only Sri Lankan player to reach double figures. India’s 124-run margin sent the defending champions into another Asian Games final.
In the other semifinal, wet weather reduced each innings to 13 overs. Bangladesh made 111 for seven, with Towhid Hridoy scoring 42 from 25 balls; Sufyan Moqim took three wickets for Pakistan. Pakistan slipped to 53 for four in its chase before Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz added an unbroken 59. Samad finished on 30 from 15 balls and Nawaz on 27, as Pakistan reached 112 for four in 11.3 overs.
The results leave the gold medal and bronze medal to be decided on October 3 at the same Nisshin venue. The Olympic Council of Asia described Saturday’s game as Pakistan’s first Asian Games men’s cricket final. India enters as the defending champion, but the semifinals establish only the finalists; neither medal has yet been awarded in the men’s competition.
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