Cricket

'Saari matches Dubai mein shift karna chahiye' - Fans react as matches in Colombo are to be shifted to Pallekelle as per reports

Sri Lanka and Pakistan were made joint hosts of the Asia Cup 2023 and were hosting the matches as per hybrid model.

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Daniel S
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Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka (Source: Twitter)

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has come to a big decision regarding matches in the ongoing Asia Cup. This happened after torrential rains hit Colombo. The weather has been very iffy in Colombo and it has not shown any improvement. Initially, as per the schedule,  5 Super Four games and the final were scheduled to be held in Colombo. The same is being discussed with Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), three venues are being considered they are Pallekele, Hambantota and Dambulla.  The six participating teams have also received the news that a change of venue is being mulled between the two hosting countries. Pallekele has also been hosting the group stage matches but signs of rain remain imminent. The Pakistan-India clash in Pallekele did not produce a result due to rain. Dambulla is situated 70 km from Pallekele and the weather is looking much brighter there.

Pakistan were hosting four Asia Cup matches as per the agreement

An SLC official conveyed the news that Dambulla might not be ready to host the Asia Cup games. The SLC is looking at the Mahinda Rajapaksa stadium as of now in consultation with the ACC. The weather in Hambantota is great and there is a chance that the matches are likely to be shifted there. The final call rests in the hands of the ACC. The matches in Colombo begin on September 9 but the concerned authorities wanted to resolve the matter at the earliest.

While matches in Sri Lanka have seen rainy weather, the matches in Pakistan have not seen any weather-related problems. The players who have played in Pakistan so far,  have been greeted with hot and humid conditions. Initially, Pakistan was granted the sole authority to host the Asia Cup. But because of tense India-Pakistan relations, Sri Lanka was given joint hosting rights for the multilateral tournament.

This is the first time the continental tournament is being held in a hybrid model. India was last crowned champions in 2018 when it was held in the ODI format. Pakistan are the only team that has qualified for the Super Four stage with three points, They won against Nepal by 238 runs. Their match against India was washed out.

Let us take a look at the reactions on Twitter:

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