Rain has affected many matches in Colombo during Asia Cup 2023© AFP
The stage is set, with the Asia Cup 2023 set to find out which team will join India in the final of the tournament. Rohit Sharma‘s men secured two impressive victories — against Pakistan and Sri Lanka — in the Super 4s to book their ticket to the final. Pakistan and Sri Lanka remain the other two contenders while Bangladesh have already been knocked out. It’s been an intriguing journey for teams in the Asia Cup, with rain hampering their preliminary plans. But, what happens if the Super 4 match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan also gets washed out?
Is there a reserve day in place?
The Asian Cricket Council had put a reserve day in place for the India vs Pakistan Super 4 match but no such arrangement is in place for the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan match. A 20-over-per-side contest would need to be held on Thursday for the match to find a winner between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
What happens if rain washes out play?
Rain has already impacted many matches in the Asia Cup 2023 and it could be the case with the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Super 4 match too as there’s rain forecast in Colombo on Thursday.
What has to be noted is that in the case of a complete washout, it would be the Sri Lankan team that goes through to the final because of a better Net Run Rate in comparison to Pakistan.
At present, Sri Lanka are placed second in the Super 4 points tally despite being on the same points (2) as Pakistan. Both the teams have won one game and lost one game apiece. But, the magnitude of Pakistan’s results see them sit third with an inferior Net Run Rate in comparison to their Super 4 opponents.
Sri Lanka’s NRR stands at -0.200 while Pakistan’s is at -1.892. Hence Pakistan need the match to be held today as the only way for them to qualify for the final is by beating the Lankans.
It also has to be noted that never in the history of the Asia Cup has there been a final between India and Pakistan, arguably the two most fierce rivals in the game.
Thanks to their 100% result in the Super 4 stage, India are through to the title decider and would look to extend their Asia Cup title tally (in the ODI format) to 7. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, sit on 5 titles in the 50-over format while Pakistan have won the tournament twice.
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