Summary India defeated Pakistan in the Asian Games cricket final to win the title after setting a 212-run target, with Hasan Nawaz scoring 96 for Pakistan before falling on the final ball.
NAGOYA (Dunya News) – India defeated Pakistan in the Asian Games cricket final to claim the title after Pakistan fell short while chasing a target of 212 runs in Nagoya, Japan.
Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat opened Pakistan’s innings in the chase, but Farhan was dismissed for 10 off 11 balls, while Maaz scored 23 runs. Usman Khan made three runs off six deliveries before being dismissed by Shivam Dube.
Hasan Nawaz produced a strong batting performance for Pakistan, scoring 96 runs before being dismissed off the final ball of the match.
Earlier, India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first. Suryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma opened the innings and gave India an attacking start. Suryavanshi was dismissed for 15 off nine balls, while Abhishek Sharma smashed 61 runs off 28 deliveries.
Ishan Kishan scored 21 runs before being dismissed, while Tilak Varma completed his half-century off 20 balls with an impressive batting display.
India posted 211 runs for six wickets in their allotted 20 overs. For Pakistan, Arafat Minhas and Ahmed Daniyal claimed two wickets each, while Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub took one wicket apiece.
Sahibzada Farhan led Pakistan in the final, with the national team making one change as Saad Masood replaced Wasim Junior. India retained an unchanged playing XI for the title clash.
Pakistan’s playing XI comprised Sahibzada Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Arafat Minhas, Ahmed Daniyal, Abrar Ahmed, Sufyan Moqim and Saad Masood.
The final was played in Nagoya, Japan, where rain had been forecast to potentially affect the Pakistan-India clash.
