Asia Cup 2023
COLOMBO
India were 147/2 at the first ball of the 24th over against Pakistan in the Super Fours match of the Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Sunday as rain halted play which will now continue the next day.
Rain paused the match in the 24th over. The much-needed break had given Pakistan a chance to regroup if play had resumed. However, heavy rain returned after multiple inspections and attempts by groundstaff to clear the pitch of rainwater.
The match will now continue on the reserve day (Monday) as Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will resume their innings.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said ticketholders for today’s game will be able to use them for the reserve day.
The groundstaff has been wrong-footed because it is suddenly pouring, but they get in position very quickly to recover, and the covers have been brought in. Even Fakhar Zaman joins in to help them cover the pitch. And as these words are typed, the rain has become heavier. The intensity has gone from moderate to torrential in a few minutes.
ESPNcricinfo said that if the overs were reduced to 20 because of the rain then Pakistan would have to chase 181 while cricket statistician Mazher Arshad said it would be 206 for 24 overs.
As dawn.com’s poll comes to a close, 43.3 per cent of our voters believed Pakistan would win and 35.1pc were in the Indian camp while 21.6pc believed the day would go to the rain.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar opined that the rain had saved the Green Shirts who were otherwise “trapped” by India.
Fans also poked fun at the rainy turn of events in today’s match.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a photo of clear skies at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium on its X (formerly Twitter) account.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) also put up a photo exclaiming: “The skies are clear as we all gear up for an exciting contest!”
However, there could be rain interruptions at the beginning of play and in the second half, according to The Weather Channel’s forecast. When the match begins at 3pm local time (2:30 PST), there is a 90pc likelihood of thunderstorms, which will abate by 4pm (3:30 PST).
Rain had washed out their previous encounter last week at the Pallakele Stadium, bringing an anti-climatic end to the match that left the Green Shirts waiting for their chance at the bat after dominating India with their aggressive bowling lineup.
India was bowled out for 266 in the 49th over against Pakistan and had set a target of 267. Both the teams had shared points for that match.
A reserve day has been introduced for the Asia Cup Super Four contest between Pakistan and India amid the possibility of rains interrupting the match. Multiple weather forecasts had predicted a high probability of rain on Sunday, particularly during match hours.
ESPNcricinfo had also reported that it is the only match apart from the final to have a reserve day. According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), a “reserve day has been incorporated” for the high-voltage tie.
Pakistan side
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.
Indian side
RG Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan†, KL Rahul, HH Pandya, RA Jadeja, SN Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, JJ Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.
