Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is looking at the option of shifting the venue for the Super 4 stages of the continental cup due to the heavy rains in Colombo. Sri Lanka has been witnessing heavy rainfall in the country, with the previous India-Pakistan game being marred by rain.
The continental event is being hosted by both Pakistan and Sri Lanka as four matches are being played in Pakistan, and the remaining nine matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka. The final will be one of a total of 13 games that will be played in the tournament to decide the winner of the marquee event. The grand finale will be hosted by Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo.
According to the reports in Indian Express, the Asian Cricket Council is considering moving games from Colombo due to heavy rains and floods. Pallekele and Dambulla are potentially seen as backup options for hosting the Super 4 games in the Asia Cup 2023.
With only two more matches remaining in Pakistan, the ACC is likely to take a final call on the venue after holding the talks with stakeholders over the next 24-48 hours. According to the reports, the weather in Colombo doesn’t look promising for the next two weeks.
Pakistan has qualified for the Super 4 stage of the tournament after a comprehensive victory over Nepal in the opening game and a brilliant show with the ball against India before rain played a spoilsport on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Men in Blue will look to seal the deal by winning the game against Nepal in the second game of the group stage on Monday.
In the opening game against Pakistan, batters struggled to get going in a rain-affected match. The Indian top-order batters struggled to score runs losing wickets at regular intervals and the Indian batters will look to score some runs in the game against Nepal.
On Sunday, Bangladesh registered one of the finest victories over Afghanistan in their final game of the group stage to give their team the best chance to qualify for the Super 4 stage after a defeat against the co-host nation Sri Lanka in their opening encounter of the game. Afghanistan will require a big victory over the heavy-weights Sri Lanka to qualify for the next stage of the tournament.
