In the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023, with rain affecting the matches, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has issued a clarification regarding the reserve day for the Pakistan vs India match.
Sri Lanka is currently experiencing heavy rainfall, and the Sri Lankan meteorological department has predicted further rain in the coming days. This raises the possibility of rain during the Pakistan vs India match scheduled for Sunday, as well as concerns about rain affecting the tournament’s final.
On Friday, the Pakistan Cricket Board made efforts to address concerns about rain predictions and event scheduling. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) gave the green light for a reserve day for the Pakistan vs India match in the Super Four stage.
Pakistan had expressed reservations regarding rain predictions and event scheduling, and following protests and objections from the PCB, the ACC has now decided to allocate a reserve day.
However, reports in the Indian media suggested that Bangladesh and Sri Lankan cricket team coaches are in disagreement with the decision to have a reserve day for the Pakistan vs India match in case of rain.
Before the Pakistan vs India match, scheduled for next week, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are set to face each other in the Super Four stage. If this match is affected by rain, no reserve day has been allocated for it.
According to Indian media, Sri Lankan head coach Chris Silverwood and Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha are not pleased with the ACC’s decision to have a reserve day only for the Pakistan vs India matches in the Super Four stage.
The head coach of the Bangladesh cricket team mentioned during a pre-match press conference on Friday that the technical committee of the Asia Cup 2023 represents all participating countries in the event, and the decision was made for reasons beyond their control.
The Bangladesh coach indicated that they were not consulted about this decision and expressed their desire to have a reserve day in case of rain as well.
It should be noted that if the Pakistan vs India match on September 10 is affected by rain, the match will continue on September 11, starting from where it was stopped. If the match goes to the reserve day, India will have to play back-to-back matches because their match against Sri Lanka is scheduled for September 12.
If the Pakistan vs India match does not take place on September 11 due to rain and the Sri Lanka-India match scheduled for September 12 is also washed out, then Pakistan will directly advance to the final, and the toss will determine the opponent for the other finalist team.
Furthermore, if the final of the Asia Cup 2023 on September 17 is also affected by rain, then both finalist teams will be declared joint winners.
In simple terms, due to concerns about rain, the Bangladesh Cricket Board clarified that a reserve day has been allocated for the Pakistan vs India match, but this decision has sparked disagreements among coaches of other teams participating in the Asia Cup 2023.