India and Pakistan secure Asian Games cricket final berths with semi-final wins in Nagoya

India secures final berth with 124-run win

India defeated Sri Lanka by 124 runs in their semi-final at Korogi Athletic Park in Nagoya on Thursday. Batting first, Shreyas Iyer's side posted 169-7 in their 20 overs. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan anchored the innings with an unbeaten 80 from 46 deliveries, hitting five sixes and four fours. Fifteen-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributed an aggressive 38 runs, including two sixes and six fours, before Sri Lanka slowed the run rate during the middle overs. In response, Sri Lanka lost their top three batters for ducks, with Jasprit Bumrah taking 2-7 in his opening over to dismiss Sineth Jayawardena lbw and Sohan de Livera caught behind. Lasith Croospulle was run out, reducing Sri Lanka to three runs for two wickets. Nuwanidu Fernando was the only Sri Lankan batter to reach double figures, scoring 15 before Sri Lanka was bowled out for 45 in 9.5 overs. Spinners Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Abhishek Sharma, who took 2-2 in five balls, took five wickets between them.

Pakistan advances past Bangladesh

Pakistan secured their place in the final by defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in Thursday's opening semi-final. The fixture was reduced to 13 overs per side after heavy rain left the outfield wet at Korogi Athletic Park. Bangladesh batted first and scored 111-7, led by Towhid Hridoy, who made 42 runs off 25 deliveries with four sixes and two fours. Left-arm spinner Sufyan Moqim took three wickets for Pakistan, helping reduce Bangladesh to 21-3 and then 45-4 in the sixth over. Chasing a target of 112, Pakistan lost early wickets and sat at 53-4 in the seventh over before Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz compiled an unbroken 59-run partnership in 32 balls. Samad finished unbeaten on 30 from 15 deliveries, while Nawaz was 27 not out as Pakistan reached the target with nine balls remaining. Pakistan batter Saim Ayub, who scored 21 runs earlier in the chase, addressed the upcoming final.

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.

Rain disruptions and tournament progression

Weather conditions affected the tournament schedule leading into Thursday's matches. The pitch at Korogi Athletic Park had remained covered for nearly a week due to torrential rain before play commenced under clear skies. All four quarter-final matches were abandoned without play, allowing India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to advance to the semi-finals based on their international rankings. The progression gives Pakistan their first appearance in an Asian Games men's cricket final. India is seeking consecutive Asian Games titles after winning the gold medal three years earlier in Hangzhou, where the final against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain and decided by tournament ranking rules. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will play for the bronze medal on Saturday prior to the final.

Diplomatic background and protocol tensions

The final on Saturday takes place following heightened political tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations, which brought both countries to the brink of war last year. These strained relations have influenced sports protocols between the two cricket squads in recent tournaments. Players from India and Pakistan have abstained from handshakes before and after fixtures. Indian teams have also declined to receive medals and trophies from Pakistani administrators. During the men's Asia Cup, where Suryakumar Yadav's team defeated Pakistan three times, the squad declined to accept the championship trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi and avoided pre-match and post-match handshakes. India's women's team maintained identical protocols during their continental matches, avoiding handshakes with Pakistan players and refusing the trophy from Naqvi after winning the women's Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates.