Hridoy stands alone; Bangladesh crumble against Pakistan

Bangladesh’s hopes of reaching the 20th Asian Games cricket final were shattered as Pakistan cruised to a six-wicket victory in a rain-shortened semi-final, leaving Towhid Hridoy as the only notable bright spot in an otherwise disappointing performance.

Despite the rain finally relenting in Aichi-Nagoya on Thursday, the green and red failed to rise to the occasion, managing 111-7 in 13 overs before Pakistan chased down the target with nine balls to spare.

The defeat ended Bangladesh’s hopes of competing for gold or silver. They will now face Sri Lanka in the bronze-medal match on 3 October.

Tigers had not seen sunshine during their first five days in Nagoya. Rain disrupted their preparations, while their quarter-final against China was abandoned without a ball being bowled, allowing them to progress to the last four.

The semi-final, therefore, presented Litton Das’s side with an opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities in favourable conditions. However, they failed to capitalise.

Pakistan were not fielding their full-strength national side, while their cricket has also been going through a turbulent period. Nevertheless, ranked two places above Bangladesh in the ICC T20 International rankings, Pakistan have traditionally been a formidable opponent for the Tigers in the shortest format.

Bangladesh’s six-wicket victory over Pakistan at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago offered some inspiration, but there was to be no repeat this time.

Sent in to bat, Bangladesh struggled from the outset, losing three wickets during the 23-ball powerplay while managing only 23 runs.

They finished on 111-7, with 42 dot balls and just six fours and six sixes, reflecting their inability to maintain momentum.

Hridoy was the lone exception, producing an aggressive 25-ball 42 to keep Bangladesh in the contest. He added 53 runs off 30 balls with Mosaddek Hossain for the fifth wicket, but no other partnership offered comparable resistance.

Tanzid Hasan Tamim departed for seven, caught off Arafat Minhas, before captain Litton was bowled for two while attempting a reverse sweep against Saim Ayub.

Parvez Hossain Emon also fell cheaply, caught at extra cover for one off Arafat’s slower delivery.

Left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem led Pakistan’s attack with 3-26, while Arafat claimed 2-23. Leg-spinner Ayub chipped in with 1-3, playing a key role in restricting Bangladesh.

Pakistan’s chase was not entirely straightforward, as they slipped to 53-4 at one stage, leaving them needing 36 from the final 24 balls.

Bangladesh still had a chance to turn the contest around, but Mustafizur Rahman’s expensive 10th over changed the complexion of the match.

Abdul Samad launched a fierce assault, taking 22 runs from the over through a six and four boundaries, as Mustafizur conceded 23. The left-arm pacer finished with 1-41 from two overs.

Nasum Ahmed also struggled, conceding 33 runs from three overs despite taking a wicket.

In contrast, Shoriful Islam, who had bowled economically, was given only one over by Litton. He conceded seven runs without taking a wicket.

Hasan Nawaz and Samad then extinguished Bangladesh’s remaining hopes with an unbeaten 59-run stand for the fifth wicket from just 32 balls. Hasan remained unbeaten on 27, while Samad finished on 30 as Pakistan reached 112-4 in 11.3 overs.

In the other semi-final, India stormed into the final with a 124-run demolition of Sri Lanka.

Ishan Kishan starred with an unbeaten 80 off 46 balls, including four fours and five sixes, as India posted 169-7 in 20 overs.

Sri Lanka's batting collapsed against India's bowlers, with Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Abhishek Sharma claiming two wickets apiece for seven, eight and two runs respectively.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for a mere 45 in 9.5 overs, setting up the first-ever Asian Games cricket gold-medal clash between India and Pakistan.