Rain on Sunday forced a blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan into a reserve day after just 24.1 overs of play in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup.
India will resume at 147-2 on Monday in the 50-over competition after rain abruptly halted their innings following Pakistan’s decision to bowl first in Colombo.
An extra day was a last-minute addition to the Super Four clash, the only game to get the lead apart from the final, after an earlier pool meeting between the two teams was canceled due to rain in Pallekele.
The rain in Sri Lanka, the country co-hosting the tournament along with Pakistan, has put the organizers in trouble. The tournament is a precursor to the upcoming ODI World Cup.
Virat Kohli, on eight, and KL Rahul, on 17, were batting when rain forced the players to retire and the fielding staff worked tirelessly to try and restart play after the rains stopped.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
After three inspections and fans helping to dry the wet areas, the referees seemed to want to restart the game after more than four hours of stoppage, but the rain had the last word.
Captain Rohit Sharma (56) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (58) gave India a bright start in a stand of 121 off 100 balls to put Pakistan on the back foot.
The batsmen took on the new-ball pair of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah with aerial shots in the powerplay when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
Both Shaheen and Naseem looked menacing in their first spell as the ball continued to fly past the bat and a Gill lead went between two slips.
Rohit smashed off-spinner Shadab Khan for two sixes and a four in successive balls in a run of 19 to add to the noise of the Indian fans in a virtually empty stadium.
Shadab redeemed himself after the first wicket interval to return a trapped Rohit, and Shaheen came back to trap Gill in the next over.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
The score went down as Kohli and Rahul tried to rebuild before rain intervened.
The game will begin at 3:00 pm local time (09:30 GMT) on Monday and weather forecasts predict another rainy day.
The reserve day also means relentless cricket for India, who will face hosts Sri Lanka in their next Super Four match on Tuesday at the same venue.
Advertisement – Scroll to continue
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh coaches had expressed concern over the preferential treatment given to the India-Pakistan clash.
The matches between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Super Fours will have points shared if rain washes away the game.
The tournament final will be played on September 17 with a reserve day available in case of rain.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.