GUANGZHOU: Pakistan cruised into the Asian Games women’s cricket gold medal match on Thursday and then appealed to bitter rivals India to send a team to the 2014 edition at Incheon in South Korea.

India, the financial powerhouse of the world game, refused to send either a men’s or women’s squad to Guangzhou, a decision that threatened to undermine the credibility of the sport which is making its Games debut.

“Cricket should be at the Asian Games and so should India and other strong teams from Asia,” said Pakistan’s Nida Rashid, whose 27 runs helped her team maul Japan by nine wickets in Thursday’s semi-finals.

Cricket was in danger of being dropped from the 2014 Games by the Incheon organisers until a last-minute compromise with the Asian Cricket Council and the Olympic Council of Asia was hammered out.