Hasan Nawaz’s 96 in Vain as India Beat Pakistan to Win Asian Games Gold
NISSHIN, JAPAN — WEB DESK: Hasan Nawaz produced a fighting 96 off 54 deliveries, but Pakistan fell short in their pursuit of 212 as India won the Asian Games men’s cricket final by 19 runs at Korogi Sports Park on Saturday.
The defeat left Pakistan with the silver medal, while India successfully defended the men’s cricket title it won at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
India had earlier posted an imposing 211 for six after winning the toss and electing to bat.
Abhishek Sharma provided India with a powerful start, scoring 61, before Pakistan’s bowlers fought back during the middle overs.
Tilak Varma then shifted the momentum back towards India with an unbeaten 51 from just 22 balls, while Shivam Dube contributed 27 from 15 deliveries.
Varma and Dube added 62 runs for the sixth wicket as India accelerated dramatically towards the end of the innings.
Pakistan conceded 46 runs from the final three overs, allowing India to push their total beyond 200.
Chasing 212 for a historic first Asian Games men’s cricket gold medal, Pakistan suffered early setbacks but Hasan kept the contest alive with an aggressive counterattack.
He combined controlled hitting with regular boundaries as Pakistan attempted to keep pace with a required scoring rate above 10 runs per over.
Hasan moved into the 90s as Pakistan entered the closing stages with an outside chance of completing the chase.
His innings eventually ended four runs short of a century, and Pakistan were unable to find the late acceleration required to overhaul India’s total.
Pakistan finished 19 runs short, bringing an end to their gold-medal challenge despite Hasan’s standout performance.
The silver still represents a significant result for Pakistan, who had never previously reached the Asian Games men’s cricket final.
Pakistan secured their place in the title match after defeating Bangladesh by six wickets in a rain-reduced semifinal. Hasan had also contributed an unbeaten 27 in that victory, combining with Abdul Samad in an unbroken 59-run fifth-wicket partnership.
India entered the final as defending champions after winning the men’s cricket gold medal at Hangzhou 2023. Saturday’s victory secured their second consecutive Asian Games men’s cricket gold.
For Pakistan, Hasan’s 96 ultimately could not deliver gold, but his innings provided the centrepiece of a determined chase against their arch-rivals in the tournament’s biggest match.
