Srinagar: Amid continuous rain in Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket board chairmain Zaka Ashraf has got in touch with Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah with a suggestion to shift ongoing Asia Cup to Pakistan.
Sri Lanka’s largest city, Colombo, where the matches are being held till September 17, is highly likely to record heavy rains during the period. India vs Pakistan match in Kandy was washed out after the first innings last week. India scored 266 runs in the first innings, after which the match was called off.
“Shah that the remaining Asia Cup matches could be shifted to Pakistan since there is no rainfall predicted in the country for the entire month. Shah replied and said that the ACC is monitoring the situation,” Pakistan’s Dawn News reported.
According to the original schedule, super-4 stage all five games and the final are to be held at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. Matches in Colombo are scheduled to take place on September 9, 10, 12, 14 and 15 and the final will take place on September 17.
The inclusion of Sri Lanka as the co-host nation of the Asia Cup 2023 tournament alongside Pakistan in a hybrid model was seen as a response to India’s straight refusal to play Asia Cup matches in Pakistan due to ongoing geopolitical tensions between the two countries. Under this hybrid arrangement, four matches are scheduled to be held in Pakistan whereas the remaining will be held in Sri Lanka.