Bangladesh’s hopes of winning the men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games came to an end after they suffered a six-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the semi-final.

Bangladesh had entered the tournament with the target of reaching the final. They advanced directly to the quarter-finals but their last-eight clash against Malaysia was abandoned due to rain, allowing Litton Das and his team to progress to the semi-finals.

Rain also disrupted the semi-final, with the T20 match eventually reduced to 13 overs per side.

After losing the toss, Bangladesh posted 111 for 7. Pakistan chased down the target with an over to spare, securing a place in the final.

Bangladesh struggled with the bat throughout their innings. Tawhid Hridoy provided a late boost with a blistering 42 off 25 balls, while opener Saif Hassan scored 19 off 17. The rest of the Bangladesh batters failed to reach double figures.

Defending 112, Bangladesh initially kept Pakistan under control. However, the game slipped away in the 10th over when Pakistan smashed 23 runs, including five boundaries, off Mustafizur Rahman.

Mustafizur conceded 41 runs in his two overs, while Abdul Samad finished the chase in style with an unbeaten 30 off just 15 balls, taking Pakistan into the final with nine balls remaining.

Bangladesh will now have a chance to win the bronze medal. They will face the losing team from the second semi-final between India and Sri Lanka in the men’s cricket bronze-medal match on Sunday.