It’s a rematch of the 2023 Asian Games final as India meet Sri Lanka with gold on the line once again. Both sides have comfortably made the final. India brushed aside Japan and Bangladesh in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, while Sri Lanka did the same against Malaysia and Pakistan.

There is plenty of familiarity too, with the sides having met less than ten days ago in the Women’s Asia Cup final. India cruised to a 72 run victory  that day and will again start as favourites to defend their Asian Games gold.

If Sri Lanka are to find a weakness in this India batting line-up, it may lie in the middle order. Harmanpreet Kaur scored 40 in the semi-final but has struggled for fluency of late, while G Kamalini and Bharti Fulmali have returned underwhelming numbers despite getting opportunities higher up the order. Getting to them, though, means finding a way past Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma,  both of whom have form and recent centuries on their side, while Richa Ghosh remains capable of changing an innings quickly down the order.

Chamari Athapaththu remains Sri Lanka’s biggest match-winner, but she has received more support from the top order recently, with Hasini Perera contributing a 26-ball 42 against Pakistan, Kavisha Dilhari a 27-ball 44* against Malaysia and Harshitha Samarawickrama quick cameos in both games. How Sri Lanka handle India’s spinners could be central to the final, particularly with Deepti Sharma and Shree Charani among the wickets, and before that there is Nandani Sharma’s new-ball threat to negotiate.

Sri Lanka know what happens when India are allowed to dictate a game. Their best chance in Nagoya may come from putting India under pressure early on, and whether that’s with bat or ball will depend on which way the coin falls at the toss.

Should the game be a washout, like the men’s final in 2023 was, the higher-seeded team (India) will take the gold medal.

Australia concluded their first Zimbabwe tour after 12 years with a clean sweep of the hosts, who were unable to deliver a consolation win to a festive Harare crowd, as Nathan Ellis held his nerve alongside No. 11 Spencer Johnson in a match-winning tenth-wicket stand of 27. Zimbabwe do not have any internationals at home for the rest of the 2026 and, after posting their second-highest total batting first against Australia, saw the match slip from their grasp in the dramatic closing stages.

Pressure changed sides throughout the last quarter of the contest. Australia were cruising on 162 for 3 in the 26th over, when Brad Evans removed Alex Carey for the third of his four wickets and set the cat among the pigeons as wickets fell regularly. Josh Inglis was holding the chase together with his second ODI hundred but when he fell 45 were still needed. Then Ellis, who had earlier taken 3 for 50, put together a superbly-measured 36 not out to secure a thrilling win.

Their chase was built largely on the efforts of Inglis, who was the third Australian to reach a hundred in the series, after Matt Renshaw in the opening match and Travis Head in game two. In contrast, Zimbabwe did not have a century-marker, though Sikandar Raza and Craig Ervine  scored two fifties each, including in this match and were the leading run scorers across the three matches.

Zimbabwe also had two of the three top bowlers and will know that it was in moments, not personnel terms, that they lost to Australia. In this match, there were four major ones. The first came when Innocent Kaia, batting well on 55, had to retire hurt with what looked like a hamstring injury to interrupt an 80-run fourth wicket stand with Ervine and stall Zimbabwe. The second was when Ervine, on 59, tried to accelerate with 10 overs left to go and holed out to long-on to spark a collapse of 4 for 22 which left Zimbabwe short of the 300 that was in their sights.

Then, in the field, Inglis, on 48, cut Ernest Masuku in the air to backward point and Wessly Madhevere leapt to his right but could not hold on. The drop proved costly even though Madhevere took a stunner to dismiss Carey. Madhevere’s biggest mistake was still to come. In the penultimate over when Ellis launched Masuku to deep midwicket, Madhevere got under the ball and spilled the chance.

With nine runs needed off the last six balls, Raza then gave Madhevere the ball, even though Graeme Cremer had an over in hand having caused problems in his first ODI in 2018. The first ball went for six and left Madhevere inconsolable at the end.

Inglis was in early after Evans struck twice in his first two overs. He had Head caught at deep backward square when he flicked off his pads and then found Mitchell Marsh’s inside edge to leave Australia were 25 for 2 in the fourth over. Inglis announced himself with a swivel pull that went for four and was brutal through the point area. He greeted Cremer’s return by sending his first ball – a full toss – through mid-on for four. But Cremer came back well and bowled Cooper Connolly with a classic leg break to announce his return in some style.

Inglis and Carey put on 85 for the fourth-wicket to keep Australia in control and Inglis’ big challenge came when Australia started to wobble. They were on 203 for 5 after 35 overs, 69 runs away from victory, and in the space of two overs Raza had Ollie Peake out lbw and Cremer got Xavier Bartlett with a googly. Then, Blessing Muzarabani was brought back to keep Australia under pressure and bounced Ellis, who fended him skywards but the chance fell out of Brendan Taylor’s reach. Muzarabani finished the series wicketless.

Inglis reached his century with a strong sweep against Cremer off his 94th ball and victory was still 55 runs away. When Raza bowled Inglis in the 42nd over, Zimbabwe were ahead in the contest but the management of their attack towards the end will raise questions. Muzarabani was bowled out after 44 overs and Evans with two overs to go. Cremer, despite his experience, was overlooked for his final over.

That won’t be the only area Zimbabwe will leave with questions. Their batting line-up underwhelmed in parts, especially after they chose to put runs on the board in the final match. They started off reasonably well and were on 34 without loss after six overs before their opening pair gave way.

Ben Curran’s poor returns in white-ball cricket continued when he gloved Johnson down leg and was caught behind for 7. His partner Brian Bennett didn’t fare much better. After showing promise with classy flicks off the pads and crunching pulls off short balls, Bennett skied a Ellis delivery to Head at midwicket to depart for 30. Bennett has not crossed 40 in his last eight ODI innings, despite getting several starts. Zimbabwe were 57 for 2 at the end of the powerplay.

Taylor took his time to get to a 16-ball nine before he was bowled by an Adam Zampa flipper and his form will also be a concern. Kaia, whose first runs had come off a thick inside edge, offered a chance on 27 when he was out of his crease early as Renshaw fired in a delivery down leg. Inglis fumbled and recovered but could not stump Kaia, who put the early jitters aside to play some classy strokes. He drove Renshaw through mid-on and pulled Johnson flat and hard to bisect the fielders in the deep. His fifty came just after the innings’ halfway mark, off 59 balls, and marked the first time he had crossed the milestone in 12 innings, since January 2023.

Kaia and Ervine got Zimbabwe into a good position and when Kaia retired on 148 for 3, it was up to Raza and Ervine to accelerate. They brought up the Zimbabwean 200 with 10 overs to go but the final flourish never came. Ervine was eager to up the ante but could not clear Renshaw at long-on and Madhevere sent an Ellis slower ball to cover to give Australia two wickets in two overs.

Evans showed glimpses of his finishing skills with back to back fours off Johnson but then top-edged a short ball to give Johnson a second wicket and Cremer was out lbw to a pinpoint Ellis yorker. Raza reached fifty soon after that and farmed strike for the final five overs to end unbeaten on 81 which gave Zimbabwe a competitive total, but agonisingly not quite enough.

Scores:
Australia 272 for 9 in 49.5 overs  (Josh Inglis 103; Brad Evans 4-47, Graeme Cremer 2-53, Sikandar Raza 2-42) beat Zimbabwe 271 for 8 in 50 overs (Innocent Kaia 55 retired hurt,Craig Ervine 59, Sikandar Raza 81*; Spencer Johnson 2-50, Nathan Ellis 3-50, Adam Zampa 2-53) by one wicket

[Cricinfo]