Sri Lanka have won the bronze medal in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket tournament after defeating Bangladesh by 63 runs in the third-place playoff at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan.
Batting first, Sri Lanka posted a challenging 165/9 in 20 overs before Bangladesh were bowled out for 102 in 17.3 overs. The result gave Sri Lanka the bronze medal and ended Bangladesh’s campaign without a podium finish.
The match was set up as a chance for both teams to recover after disappointing semi-final defeats. Bangladesh had gone down to Pakistan by six wickets in a rain-shortened semi-final, while Sri Lanka suffered a heavy 124-run defeat against India.
Tharindu Ratnayake produces the difference
The biggest difference between the two sides came from Sri Lanka’s middle-order hitting, with Tharindu Ratnayake producing the standout innings of the match.
Ratnayake smashed 65 runs from just 32 balls, including seven fours and five sixes. His strike rate of more than 200 gave Sri Lanka the acceleration they needed in the second half of their innings.
He walked in when Sri Lanka needed momentum and attacked Bangladesh’s bowlers at exactly the right time. His aggressive partnership with Sahan Arachchige helped Sri Lanka move from a competitive total towards a score that proved too difficult for Bangladesh to chase.
Arachchige also made a useful 33 from 37 balls, while Ashen Bandara contributed 18. Wanuja Sahan finished unbeaten on five from three deliveries, adding a late boundary as Sri Lanka completed their 20 overs on 165/9.
Ratnayake’s contribution was particularly important because Sri Lanka had lost wickets regularly during their innings. Instead of allowing the innings to slow down, he kept finding boundaries and put pressure back on the Bangladesh attack.
The scorecard showed just how aggressive his innings was: five sixes and seven fours from 32 balls.
Interestingly, Ratnayake had entered the bronze-medal match after taking 2/32 against India in the semi-final, according to his ICC player profile.
Bangladesh struggle in the chase
Bangladesh needed 166 runs to win the bronze medal, but their chase never developed the consistency required on the Nisshin surface.
The early wickets immediately put pressure on the Bangladesh batting order. Saif Hassan, Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Litton Das were all dismissed cheaply, leaving Bangladesh in serious trouble.
Parvez Hossain Emon briefly provided some resistance with 20 from 26 balls, while Towhid Hridoy scored 11 from six deliveries. Yasir Ali then added an aggressive 21 from 16 balls, but Bangladesh could not build a substantial partnership.
The most significant contribution came from Nasum Ahmed, who scored 26 from 28 balls. His effort kept Bangladesh alive for a while, but the required run rate continued to climb.
Rishad Hossain also made 10 from five balls, including a six, but by then Sri Lanka had control of the contest.
Bangladesh eventually reached 102 all out in 17.3 overs, falling 63 runs short of Sri Lanka’s target.
Sri Lanka’s bowling attack maintained pressure throughout the innings. Nuwan Thushara was particularly effective, finishing with 2/18 from four overs, while the other bowlers shared the remaining wickets.
The result is also reflected in live scorecard reporting, which records Sri Lanka’s 165/9 and Bangladesh’s eventual 102 all out.
Sri Lanka finish with an Asian Games medal
The bronze medal represents a significant turnaround for Sri Lanka after their disappointing semi-final against India.
India posted 169/7 in that semi-final, powered by an unbeaten 80 from Ishan Kishan, before Sri Lanka were dismissed for only 45 in 9.5 overs.
Sri Lanka therefore needed to respond quickly, and they did so against Bangladesh.
The 2026 Asian Games men’s cricket competition featured a knockout structure in which India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh entered directly at the quarter-final stage. The quarter-finals were heavily affected by rain, with all four matches abandoned, meaning the seeded teams progressed to the semi-finals.
Sri Lanka then lost to India in the last four, while Bangladesh were beaten by Pakistan in the other semi-final. That left the two sides facing each other for bronze on October 3.
For Bangladesh, the result means they narrowly miss out on a second consecutive Asian Games cricket medal. Bangladesh had won bronze at the previous edition, while Sri Lanka had taken silver behind gold medallists India.
This time, the medals changed hands.
What the result means for both teams
For Sri Lanka, the bronze medal provides something positive to take away from a tournament in which they faced a difficult route through the knockout stages.
Their batting was inconsistent at times, but Ratnayake’s explosive 65 proved decisive when the pressure was highest. The bowlers then backed it up by dismissing Bangladesh for just 102.
For Bangladesh, the biggest disappointment will be their inability to convert a promising tournament into another medal. Their semi-final against Pakistan was shortened to 13 overs because of rain, while the bronze-medal match gave them a full 20-over opportunity to finish third. They ultimately could not match Sri Lanka’s batting effort.
The Asian Games cricket competition now moves towards its final chapter, with India and Pakistan meeting in the gold-medal match after their respective semi-final victories.
For Sri Lanka, however, the focus is on the bronze. After a disappointing semi-final, they responded with a complete performance when another medal was on the line.
Sri Lanka 165/9, Bangladesh 102 all out — Sri Lanka won by 63 runs and secured the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026.
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