New Delhi: A reserve day has been added to the India vs Pakistan Super Four game of the Asia Cup scheduled for Sunday, September 10. It is the only match other than the final to have a reserve day. The change to the playing conditions was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board )(CB), advising spectators to hold on to their tickets should a reserve day be required.
This has triggered a controversy, with the exceptional provision being made, mid-tournament, and only for one match. Livemint reports that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has “found itself in hot water after announcing a reserve day”. This decision is being attributed to a 90% chance of heavy rainfall predicted for tomorrow. The Sri Lanka and Bangladesh cricket boards issued statements saying that the decision for a reserve day was made with the consent of all four teams participating in the Super 4 stage.
However, the head coaches of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh expressed their displeasure. The Sri Lankan coach, Chris Silverwood, said that while they have no control over the tournament’s organisation, the decision could be problematic if the reserve day affects the points table.
Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, also expressed his surprise, frowning upon changing rules mid-tournament.
For both the matches which have been accorded a reserve day, “efforts will be made to complete the match on the original day even if it means shortening the contest. If the reserve day is triggered, the duration of the contest will remain the same as on the last ball of day one,” ESPN Cricinfo reports.
The ACC consists of cricket boards from 25 regional countries. It is currently headed by Jay Shah who is also secretary of the BCCI and son of India’s current home minister, Amit Shah.
Rain in Sri Lanka, so why play there?
Before this, a war of words had been sparked off between BCCI secretary Jay Shah and PCB’s former chief Najam Sethi.
On Tuesday, Sethi blamed Shah for preferring Sri Lanka as the match venue, despite the weather forecast predicting rain. “Only Mr. Shah can explain why these options were rejected and why Sri Lanka was accommodated against all reason, logic, and rationality,” he said on X.
He wrote, “I proposed that we play five matches in Pakistan and eight in the UAE. This also they rejected and hinted at giving the Asia Cup hosting rights to Sri Lanka if we didn’t budge. Finally, after we said we might not participate, they scheduled four matches in Pakistan and posted the rest in Sri Lanka. We repeatedly pointed out that the rains forecast in SL would adversely impact match results and diminish crowds at stadiums. We also argued that gate receipts from UAE stadiums would be many times more than those in SL given economic considerations. When Mr Shah didn’t agree, a high-level delegation of the Emirates Cricket Board flew to Mumbai to persuade BCCI to play the Asia Cup in UAE as in the past when two IPLs and one ACC ODI event was played there in the same weather conditions. BCCI refused to accept their request.”
Shah, also ACC president, responded to Sethi that there was a reason to not play ODI cricket in the UAE. “All the full members, media rights holders, and in-stadia rights holders were initially hesitant to commit to hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan. This reluctance stemmed from concerns related to the security and economic situation prevailing in the country,” said Shah.
“…I was committed to finding a viable and mutually agreeable solution. To this end, I accepted the hybrid model that was proposed by the PCB in collaboration with the ACC management. However, it’s important to note that the leadership of the PCB underwent several changes, and this resulted in some back-and-forth negotiations, particularly regarding crucial aspects such as tax exemption and insurance for matches,” Shah added, referring to Sethi leaving the fray for the PCB chairman election in June.
Hambantota? No, Colombo
Sportstar reports that on Wednesday, Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chief, said it was an “arbitrary decision” by ACC to stick to Colombo as the venue for Super Four games despite having agreed earlier to move the games to Hambantota.
Alleging that “it took ACC 27 minutes after moving the tournament to Hambantota for a volte-face and sticking to Colombo,” Ashraf demanded ACC compensate the venue for the loss of gate receipts.
“Who will be responsible for the loss of gate receipts to the PCB and the adverse impact on the ACC Event’s brand value should the matches be rained out in Colombo? The ACC will have to take responsibility for the washed-out matches, and incremental costs if any, and also reimburse PCB for the losses of gate revenue,” Ashraf said.
Earlier this week, Sethi, ex-PCB chief said, “BCCI/ACC informed PCB today that they had decided to shift next India-Pak match from Colombo to Hambantota because of rain forecasts. Within one hour they changed their mind and announced Colombo as the venue. What’s going on? Is India afraid to play and lose to Pakistan? Look at the rain forecast!” Sethi attached a gloomy, rain-ridden forecast.
The tournament has been riddled with controversies from the very start, with India’s reluctance to play in Pakistan leading to severe delays in the schedule being announced.
Sri Lanka is the reigning Asia Cup champion. The Asia Cup Super 4s are Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Pakistan is now on top of the table after its win over Bangladesh.
The final is to be played at Colombo, next Sunday (September 17).