Bronze now the last hope for Litton and Co

With their gold medal dream over, Bangladesh now have one final chance to secure a podium finish at the Asian Games as Litton Das and his teammates turn their attention to the bronze-medal match. Bangladesh were knocked out of the title race after suffering a six-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the semifinal and will face Sri Lanka in the bronze-medal playoff on Saturday morning. The match will begin at 6:00am Bangladesh time in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Bangladesh have never returned empty-handed from men's cricket at the Asian Games. The team has won one gold and two bronze medals from its three previous appearances. Bangladesh also claimed bronze at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games in China. This time, Litton and Co will be aiming to retain that medal.

The overall medal picture for Bangladesh at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games has not been particularly encouraging. So far, the country has secured only one bronze medal, coming in wushu. Bangladesh also remains near the lower end of the medals table. In such circumstances, the cricket bronze-medal match has become another opportunity for the country's athletes to add to the tally.

Although hopes of gold ended with the semifinal defeat to Pakistan, Bangladesh still have the chance to return home with a medal if they can overcome Sri Lanka. With that objective in mind, Litton Das's side will take the field one final time.