An incident that continues to be discussed occurred during the gold medal match of men's cricket at the 2026 Asian Games between India and Pakistan. Pakistani all-rounder Sam Ayub staged a controversial celebration after dismissing young Indian batsman Vaibha Suryawanshi.
Ayub imitated cradling a baby (celebration in cradle), which drew criticism from former Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal. Akmal voiced his opinion on this situation on the show 'Game Plan'. The program host also questioned such behavior in international cricket.
In response, Akmal stated that players should focus on their game rather than actions for social media. He emphasized that such things have been happening for a long time, and despite the team's poor results, players engage in attention-grabbing activities on social media. Akmal urged the management to consider this, noting that it concerns international cricket, and the player's age is irrelevant since he plays internationally. He added that Sam Ayub is not a child and should focus on his performance.
In this match, India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs, defending the championship title. At the beginning of the Indian innings, Vaibha Suryawanshi tried to put pressure on the Pakistani bowlers. He showed his intent by scoring two boundaries in Sad Masood's over. However, he was dismissed while attempting a reverse sweep against Sam Ayub in the third over. Vaibha scored 15 runs off 9 balls.
In the match, India batted first and scored 211/6 in 20 overs. Abhishek Sharma played aggressively, scoring 61 runs off 28 balls. Tilak Verma quietly scored 51 runs without getting out, and Shivam Dube contributed 27 runs. After Vaibha Suryawanshi's early dismissal, Sanju Samson came in at number three.
Pakistan's start while chasing was not the most successful, but Hasan Nawaz tried to change the game's momentum, showing explosive play with 96 runs off 51 balls and putting pressure on the Indian bowlers. Jasprit Bumrah and Shivam Dube performed excellently under pressure, restricting Pakistan to 192/6.