If one team receives points on the reserve day, according to SL coach Silverwood, there would be an issue, according to Hathurasingha, who claims other clubs were not consulted.
The Asia Cup hosts, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), announced that a reserve day has been allotted for the India-Pakistan game in Colombo on Sunday. This is the only match in the Super 4 stage to receive that treatment, which will undoubtedly raise many eyebrows and cause additional confusion.
By earning two points on the extra day rather of one point apiece in the event of a washout on the first day of the match, one of these two sides could unfairly gain an advantage over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is unprecedented to alter the playing field for just one match during a tournament.
The Indian Express has learned that the Indian squad was notified about the reserve day for the match as soon as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced that the Super 4 stage will remain in Colombo, where heavy rains have cast doubt on the India-Pakistan Super 4 encounter.
Asia Cup prey to India-Pak spat, poor choice of venues.
It’s interesting to note that the ACC, under whose auspices the tournament is being held, did not issue a statement on the subject; instead, the PCB, which has the hosting rights to the tournament and is at odds with the ACC over the selection of venues, issued the advisory without providing any explanation.
“A reserve day has been added for the India vs. Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match, which is set for September 10 at the Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. The Pakistan vs. India game will resume on September 11 from the spot it was interrupted if bad weather prevents play, according to a press release from the PCB.
It is believed that broadcasters exerted pressure to have a reserve day scheduled, especially after the group-stage match between India and Pakistan, which generates significant ad income, was canceled in Pallekele on Saturday. A reserve day has been added to the itinerary because Monday afternoon’s forecast calls for improved weather.
Rain is also expected for the Sri Lanka-Bangladesh match that is set to take place at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday. However, they were deprived of the luxury of a reserve day because India-Pakistan was scheduled for Sunday.
Chris Silverwood, the coach of Sri Lanka, expressed his amazement at the ACC’s decision to use various playing surfaces. However, as we are not the competition’s organizers, there isn’t much we can do about it. Since we have no control over it, we must continue to prepare and perform to the best of our abilities. To be honest, it will be an issue if the teams receive points from the reserve day and not someone else.
Even Bangladesh’s head coach Chandika Hathurusingha expressed the same sentiment when he claimed that the decision had not been made after consulting with the other teams. “This kind of stuff, changing the regulations in the middle of the competition, I haven’t seen in another event. Every nation competing in the Asia Cup is represented on the technical committee. They may have made the choice for another motive. It’s not ideal, and we also wish we had an additional day,” he said.
A reserve day for the India-Pakistan match in the Super 11 Asia Cup Super 4 stage has been added, which has essentially amended the Asia Cup playing conditions, the Bangladesh Cricket Board would later clarify in a statement on its social media channels. To be clear, the decision was made with the approval of the ACC and the four participating teams.
This is the most recent dispute to arise during the current Asia Cup. The event had lots of controversy even before it began, from location modifications to disagreements over using a hybrid model and a second host nation. After the match between India and Pakistan in the group round was postponed, there were even suggestions about moving the competition from Colombo to Hambantota. Although there was a high chance of rain for the weekend games between India and Pakistan and Sri Lanka versus Bangladesh, the ACC kept to the original schedule. Sharp criticism was directed at the ACC for choosing Colombo as the location from PCB.
The former PCB chairman Najam Sethi and BCCI secretary Jay Shah frequently quarreled. The PCB first proposed hosting a portion of the tournament in the UAE, and subsequently the entire event, when the BCCI made it clear that its squad would not travel to Pakistan. However, the BCCI claimed that it would be too hot there, thus a significant section of the tournament is being played in Sri Lanka, necessitating Pakistan’s considerable journey between the two nations.
If the opening match moves into the reserve day, India-Pakistan and India-Sri Lanka will also be on consecutive days in addition to having back-to-back games on Saturday and Sunday. Simply said, it looks that games other than the encounter between India and Pakistan have been ignored.
It is understood that, even if it necessitates a shortened competition, efforts would be made to finish the match on the intended day. The game will pick up where it left off on Sunday if it extends into the reserve day.