Pakistan and India are anxiously waiting to resume their Super Four stage Asia Cup match in Colombo today, with the persistent rainfall posing a threat to the game once again.
The first match between the two arch-rivals in the ongoing tournament was washed out, leaving the Green Shirts awaiting their turn to bat. The second match, which took place on Sunday, was also abandoned after just 24.1 overs of play.
Despite having a reserve day (today) scheduled for the Super Four clash, inclement weather remains a concern. India were at 147/2 at the first ball of the 24th over when the play was interrupted. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will continue their innings when the match resumes.
However, there are still concerns about rain on Monday. ESPNcricinfo shared a video of rainfall in the Sri Lankan capital shortly before the match was set to begin, stating, “The Colombo skies have spoken.”
About an hour later, the covers were removed, but the weather remained cloudy, as reported by the sports news website.
According to The Weather Channel’s forecast, there is an 87% chance of thunderstorms at 2:30 PM, with the match scheduled to start at 3 PM local time (2:30 PM PST). The report also mentions that while the storms may end by 4 PM, more are possible later in the day, with an 80% chance of thunderstorms at 7:30 PM.
A minimum of 20 overs must be bowled in each innings for a result. If today’s match is also washed out, both teams will receive one point each, propelling Pakistan to the top of the Super Four rankings after their victory against Bangladesh. India is scheduled to play against Sri Lanka tomorrow (Tuesday).
Meanwhile, former cricketer Wasim Akram posted a video on social media, discussing the weather in Colombo ahead of the match. He acknowledged the frustration caused by the weather and expressed hope for better conditions.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also reminded fans on social media that their tickets from the previous day could be used for today’s match.
Sunday’s match
On Sunday, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were batting on eight and 17 runs respectively when rain forced the players off the field. Despite the ground staff’s efforts to restart the game after the showers stopped, play could not resume due to the rain.
Before the rain interruption, skipper Rohit Sharma (56) and opener Shubman Gill (58) gave India a strong start, with a partnership of 121 runs off 100 balls. The batsmen took risks by playing aerial shots against the new-ball pair of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah during the powerplay.
Both Shaheen and Naseem posed a threat with their fast bowling, with several close calls and a lucky edge from Gill that went between two slips.
However, Shadab Khan, the leg-spinner, redeemed himself after the first drinks interval by dismissing Rohit caught out. Shaheen then returned to get Gill out in the next over. Scoring slowed down as Kohli and Rahul aimed to rebuild the innings before rain intervened.