Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed by Saim Ayub in the third over of the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final on Saturday, October 3, at Kōrogi Sports Park in Nisshin. The 15-year-old Indian batsman hit 15 runs off 9 deliveries before attempting a reverse sweep that resulted in a top edge that Usman Khan caught. After the discharge, Ayub gave Sooryavanshi a baby cradle send-off, and he quietly returned to the Indian dugout without responding.
On social media, Indian supporters swiftly expressed their disdain of Saim Ayub‘s treatment of the little batter in response to the gesture. Former Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal criticised Ayub’s antics throughout the match.
Akmal went on to describe the broader problems with Pakistan cricket’s management of international matches. The former wicketkeeper underlined that this kind of attitude undermines the team’s efforts and sends the wrong impression about the professional standards of the sport.
Akmal then addressed Saim Ayub’s maturity and focus as a player right away.
He emphasised that age shouldn’t be an excuse for acting unprofessionally on the cricket pitch, regardless of the opponent’s skill level.
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India won the final by 19 runs after scoring 211 for 6 in 20 overs thanks to half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma. Saim Ayub’s dismissal of Sooryavanshi proved to be his only wicket of the match. He hit 22 runs off of 29 deliveries, dropped two catches, and conceded 47 runs in four overs. The send-off incident overshadowed the Pakistani player’s competitive performance in a high-stress final.
