The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has decided to set a reserve day for the much-anticipated match between Pakistan and India. This decision comes in response to concerns raised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) regarding the scheduling of the event amidst heavy rainfall in Colombo.
The match, which is part of the Super 4 stage of the tournament, is scheduled for September 10. If the game cannot be completed on this date due to weather conditions, it will continue from the point of interruption on the following day, September 11. Notably, this is the only match in the Asia Cup that has been allocated a reserve day. The previous group stage match between the two cricketing giants was washed out due to rain on September 2.
The remaining matches of the Super 4 round will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, poor weather is expected to potentially disrupt the upcoming games.
The ACC has also provided detailed playing conditions for the reserve day. For instance, if a match starts with 50 overs per side and gets interrupted at 18 overs, reducing the game to 40 overs per side, and then gets abandoned for the day before resuming, the match will continue on the reserve day at the original 50 overs per side. The number of overs can be further reduced if necessary during the reserve day.
In another scenario, if the match resumes after being reduced to 35 overs per side and then gets abandoned, it will continue on the reserve day at 35 overs per side. If a match is scheduled to start as a 30 over-per-side game due to early morning rain but doesn’t start due to further rain, the game will resume as a 50 over-per-side game on the reserve day.
This decision by the ACC is a significant step towards ensuring that the high-profile clash between Pakistan and India is not compromised due to unpredictable weather conditions.
