Pakistan beat Bangladesh to reach Asian Games gold-medal final

Pakistan beat Bangladesh by six wickets with nine balls remaining in the Asian Games Men’s Cricket Competition semi-final on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. Sufyan Moqim stood out with three wickets, while Abdul Samad led Pakistan’s scoring with 30 as they reached 112/4 in 11.3 overs to book their place in the gold-medal clash.

Moqim and Minhas keep Bangladesh to 111

Bangladesh finished on 111/7 from 13 overs, with Towhid Hridoy’s 42 providing the largest contribution of either innings. Saif Hassan added 19 and Mosaddek Hossain made 11, but Pakistan’s wicket-taking effort prevented Bangladesh from building a more imposing total.

Moqim claimed three wickets and Arafat Minhas took two, accounting for five of Bangladesh’s seven wickets between them. Saim Ayub also picked up a wicket, adding a valuable bowling contribution before playing his part in the chase.

Hridoy, Hassan and Mosaddek contributed 72 runs collectively. Hridoy’s innings gave Bangladesh something to defend, but the regular loss of wickets left Pakistan chasing 112 in this 13-over T20 contest.

Samad leads Pakistan into the final

Pakistan answered with 112/4 in 11.3 overs, completing the chase with an over and a half to spare. Samad’s 30 was their highest individual score, supported by Hasan Nawaz’s 27 and Ayub’s 21.

Those three contributions added up to 78 runs, providing the bulk of Pakistan’s chase. Bangladesh did take wickets: Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed claimed one apiece. Yet Pakistan had enough batting contributions to absorb four dismissals and secure a clear six-wicket victory.

Ayub’s 21 alongside his wicket made him an important contributor across both innings, while Samad’s batting helped turn Pakistan’s bowling advantage into a place in the medal decider.

Key performers

• Sufyan Moqim, Pakistan: Three wickets to lead Pakistan’s bowling effort.
• Arafat Minhas, Pakistan: Two wickets.
• Saim Ayub, Pakistan: One wicket and 21 runs.
• Abdul Samad, Pakistan: 30 runs, Pakistan’s highest score.
• Hasan Nawaz, Pakistan: 27 runs.
• Towhid Hridoy, Bangladesh: 42 runs, the highest individual score in the match.
• Saif Hassan and Mosaddek Hossain, Bangladesh: 19 and 11 runs respectively.
• Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed, Bangladesh: One wicket each.

NerdSports Stat: Sufyan Moqim and Arafat Minhas together took five of Bangladesh’s seven wickets — 71.4% of all wickets lost in the first innings.

Pakistan take the lead as medal matches approach

The tournament’s earlier completed group matches produced wins for Afghanistan by 48 runs, Malaysia by eight wickets with 48 balls remaining, Hong Kong by 41 runs and Nepal by five wickets with 16 balls remaining. The remaining two group fixtures ended in a no result and an abandonment without a ball bowled, before all four quarter-finals were abandoned without play.

This semi-final victory gives Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the listed T20 series standing; it establishes the lead rather than deciding the competition. More importantly, Pakistan have secured their place in the gold-medal final.

India face Sri Lanka in the other semi-final on Wednesday, September 30. Two further T20 matches are scheduled for Friday, October 2, when the competition moves to its medal-deciding stage.

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