Asia Cup 2023: India vs Pakistan Super Four clash extended till midnight as wet outfield puts game on pause

Rain continues to wreak havoc in the 16th edition of the Asia Cup, with the Super Four match between India and Pakistan held up due to heavy shower in Colombo on Sunday.

The second meeting of the 2023 Asia Cup between the two arch-rivals at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium had been facing the threat of rain in its build-up. The fears came true in Sunday’s fixture when the heavens above Colombo opened up halfway into the Indian innings, forcing the players to make a hasty retreat to the dressing room.

Read | What happens if India vs Pakistan Super Four clash gets washed out?

The previous meeting between India and Pakistan in the ongoing tournament, which took place at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, was also washed out. India had posted 266 on the board back then before heavy rain forced the remainder of the game to get called off, resulting in the Pakistani batters not getting to face a single delivery.

The cut off time for a 20-over contest between the two sides remains nearly the same; it was 10.27 pm for the Group A match in Pallekele, and the match officials have set 10.36 pm for the Super Four game at RPS, Colombo. However, while the final delivery had to be bowled by 11.36 pm local time in Pallekele, the match officials have decided that the match can go on as late as midnight on Monday in Colombo.

Additionally, the Asian Cricket Council also decided to have a ‘Reserve Day’ in place for the India vs Pakistan Super Four clash, a decision that did not go down too well with the Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi camps. Should rain ensure a washout on Sunday, the match will carry on on Monday, 11 September from where it left off the previous day.

The ACC thus is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the marquee clash of the continental event gets a result.

As for the Super Four fixture, Pakistan invited India to bat after skipper Babar Azam won the toss. While the Men in Green retained the XI that had beaten Bangladesh in their first Super Four fixture in Lahore, India decided to bring KL Rahul in for Shreyas Iyer, who has been ruled out due to a back spasm.

The Pakistan pacers blew the Indian top-order away in the Group A clash in Pallekele, reducing them to 66/4 before Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya came to the rescue. This time however, skipper Rohit Sharma (56) and opening partner Shubman Gill (58) came up with a much better response, scoring half-centuries and stitching a 121-run opening stand.

Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi would dismiss Rohit and Gill respectively before the downpour at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium forced the players to head back to the pavilion.