Shoaib Akhtar denies rumors of appointment as Pakistan team's chief selector

Indian squash players demonstrated outstanding results at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, qualifying for the semi-finals. Abhay Singh and Anahat Singh won their semi-final matches, guaranteeing India at least a silver medal.

Abhay Singh, who holds a gold medal from the Asian Championships, defeated Mohammed Irfan of Pakistan in the men's singles category. He won with a score of 3-0 in sets. Abhay maintained control of the match from the beginning, winning the first set 11-3. In the second set, Irfan from Pakistan created serious competition, but Abhay remained calm and won the set 12-10, increasing his lead to 2-0.

In the third set, the Indian athlete once again asserted his dominance, winning 11-6 and securing his place in the final.

Meanwhile, in the women's singles category, Anahat Singh played a tense match against Satomi Watanabe of Japan, winning 3-2. Anahat initially lost the first set 9-11, and in the second set, she trailed 11-13. However, after this, the Indian athlete made an impressive comeback, winning the third set 12-10.

Subsequently, Anahat Singh leveled the score at 2-2, winning the fourth set 11-6. In the decisive fifth set, she gave Satomi Watanabe no chance and won the set 11-3, advancing to the final. This victory made Anahat Singh the first Indian woman to reach the final of the women's singles squash event at the Asian Games. Abhay Singh's victory also sustains hopes of winning gold in the men's singles category.

Now both Indian athletes will advance to the final, where they will have a chance to win a gold medal for India at the Asian Games. Winning gold qualifies both players for the Los Angeles Olympics.

In the match between India and Japan, held at the International Cricket Stadium in Sano, the Indian team decided to bat after winning the toss. However, this move proved unsuccessful as Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson were quickly dismissed.

The attention of fans was once again focused on 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, but he was again met with disappointment as he did not make the starting lineup. Previously, during the entire T20 series against Afghanistan, Vaibhav also failed to play a single match and remained on the bench. In this one-match confrontation against Japan, the team management decided to leave him out of the squad.

The main reason for this was that the team management once again relied on the experienced opening pair of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. These two players demonstrated impressive performances in the series against Afghanistan, so captain Shreyas Iyer and the team management do not wish to change the successful combination.

Despite this, Vaibhav's fans hope that the young athlete will get a chance in upcoming matches or at the Asian Games. Due to bad weather and continuous rain at the Sano stadium, the historic match was significantly delayed, resulting in the game being shortened to only 5 overs.

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer decided to bat after the toss. During the award ceremony, Iyer expressed deep pride in coming to Japan and becoming part of the promotion of cricket there. He noted that he never thought he would captain in Japan and wanted to give the fans a great match at this historic moment.

Given the format of this short match and the current conditions, fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah was released from participation. Instead, Arshdeep Singh and Yash Thakur were included. India strengthened its spin bowling by including Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Ravi Bishnoi.

Significant changes have occurred in the men's cricket team of Pakistan ahead of the Asian Games 2026. Fast bowler Salman Mirza was excluded from the squad due to a fracture of his left thumb.

Mohammad Wasim Jr. has been included in the team to replace him. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially announced these changes. According to the PCB, Salman Mirza is undergoing rehabilitation after the injury and, although he is expected to make a full recovery by the first week of October, he will be unable to participate in Pakistan's campaign at the Asian Games due to the finger fracture.

The leadership of the Pakistan team for the Asian Games has been entrusted to Sahibzada Farhan, while Abdul Samad will serve as vice-captain. Players such as Babar Azam, Shakib Al Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah were not included in the squad. The reasons for their absence are either rest or a decision by the selectors, but no clear information has been provided on this matter.

The men's cricket tournament at the Asian Games will begin on September 24. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh advanced directly to the quarterfinals. It should be noted that the Indian and Pakistani teams cannot meet in the semi-finals; their confrontation is only possible in the bronze or gold medal matches. Both teams will play their quarterfinal matches on September 28.

The Pakistan team squad for the Asian Games includes: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Ahmed Daniyal, Akif Javed, Ali Raja, Arafat Minhaj, Haider Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Maj Sadakat, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Saad Masood, Samee Ayub, Sufian Mukeem, and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper).