The original schedule of the Asia Cup will remain unchanged. All the matches you’ll witness as you watch Asia Cup 2023 in UK will be held in Colombo, with Asian Cricket Council hoping for better weather in the next few days.
There were doubts about the matches in Colombo after India’s match against Pakistan in Pallekele was rained off last Saturday. The Sri Lanka Cricket then proposed to move the tournament to Hambantota, which the hosts Pakistan Cricket Board agreed.
But with India not keen to go to Hambantota, the Super 4 stage and the final of the tournament will be played as planned in Colombo.
A major hindrance to moving the matches to Hambantota was cited as a lack of amenities near the stadium in the southeast of Sri Lanka.
It would have also been hard to arrange accommodation for four teams, match officials, commentators, and the broadcast crew at such short notice. The ACC considered all these factors and decided to stick with Colombo as the venue.
Sources also said that Hambantota is not a dry zone like Dambulla, and it also gets rain sometimes. Colombo, with its facilities, was seen as a safer option.
On Monday, after India’s match against Nepal was shortened by rain, Najam Sethi, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, slammed the ACC for choosing Sri Lanka as the venue.
But the ACC president Jay Shah, also BCCI secretary, said that Sri Lanka was selected since the UAE was not suitable for playing One-day matches in September due to the extreme heat.
He said that playing One-day matches in the UAE in September could have caused player fatigue and increased risk of injuries before the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Hopefully, the much-awaited grudge match won’t be cut short by rains so you can enjoy to watch India vs Pakistan Asia cup 2023 in UK.
The tournament, which is going on in Lahore, will resume in Colombo on Sunday with bitter rivals India and Pakistan facing off at the R Premadasa Stadium.
