Islamabad: The Asia Cup 2023's Super 4 matches — scheduled to be played in Colombo — are surrounded by uncertainty due to the rain forecast for the next 15 days in the Sri Lankan capital.

The Pakistan-India blockbuster last week was also spoiled by rain as the teams could not play the second innings and were both given one point each.  Still, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced to keep all the matches in Colombo despite knowing that the weather will disrupt the matches. Keeping that in view, if the remaining Super 4 matches are washed out, Pakistan which defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets yesterday will qualify for the final with four points.

In case of washouts, Sri Lanka and India will be tied on three points each, along with the same net run rate, which is why a coin toss will be done to determine which team will play the final. Bangladesh will only have two points since they have already lost one game in the Super Four and will not be in the race for the final.

Remaining Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 matches Sept 9 Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh in Colombo at 2:30pm (PST)

Sept 10 Pakistan vs India in Colombo at 2:30pm (PST) Sept 12 India vs Sri Lanka in Colombo at 2:30pm (PST)

Sept 14 — Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in Colombo at 2:30pm (PST)

Sept 15 — India vs Bangladesh in Colombo at 2:30pm (PST)

Asia Cup 2023 final

Sept 17 — Final in Colombo at 2:30pm (PST)

Earlier, ACC President Jay Shah, made a mockery of the Asia Cup 2023 after it emerged on Tuesday that the Super 4 matches will be held in Colombo, as originally planned, instead of Hambantota.

On Monday, the ACC decided to shift all the Super 4 matches of the Asia Cup 2023 to Hambantota as a long rain spell is expected in Colombo for the next 15 days.

The decision was taken after closely looking at the weather forecast and the possibility of rain disturbing the matches. The decision was also conveyed to all members of the Shah-led ACC through an email. However, soon after, the email was retracted with the ACC saying that the matches would be held in Colombo as per schedule.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is unhappy with the unilateral decision by the ACC and has called for an urgent meeting to resolve the matter. The PCB is facing logistical issues due to the sudden change in venue for Asia Cup 2023 matches. Shah, who is also the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), was also involved in making late changes to the ICC World Cup 2023 schedule which led to criticism from cricketing circles.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 08 2023

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.