In the third over of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin on Saturday, October 3, Saim Ayub removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old Indian batsman scored 15 runs off 9 deliveries prior to performing a reverse sweep that resulted in a top edge that Usman Khan caught. Following the discharge, Ayub presented Sooryavanshi with a baby cradle send-off, and he returned to the Indian dugout without any response.
Saim Ayub‘s treatment of the young batter was met with swift condemnation by Indian supporters on social media. Kamran Akmal, a former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman, provided criticism of Ayub’s conduct during the contest.
Akmal continued by delineating the more general issues with Pakistan cricket’s management of international games. The former wicketkeeper emphasised that this behaviour undermines the team’s efforts and sends the wrong message about the professional standards of the sport.
Akmal immediately addressed Saim Ayub’s maturity and concentration as a player.
He emphasised that age should not be used as an excuse for acting unprofessionally on the cricket pitch, irrespective of the opponent’s level of expertise.
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The final was won by India by 19 runs, as they scored 211 for 6 in 20 overs, with half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma. Saim Ayub’s dismissal of Sooryavanshi was his sole wicket of the encounter. He missed two catches, conceded 47 runs in four overs, and scored 22 runs off of 29 deliveries. The send-off incident overshadowed the Pakistani player’s competitive performance in a high-stress final.
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