The Asia Cup 2023 tournament has already shaped up to become a very interesting one. With some highly exciting matches having taken place already, things can only get bigger and better from here on as we approach the final two matches of the Super Four stage and the all-important final, which will take place on September 17. Rain has had its fair share of playing spoilsport in this competition with games being affected in Kandy as well as in Colombo. And fans would expect that the rain gods show some mercy and stay away till the 17th of September, the day of the Asia Cup 2023 final. India Qualify for Asia Cup 2023 Final, End Sri Lanka’s 13-Match Winning Streak in Super Four Clash Despite Dunith Wellalage’s All-Round Show.
India have already booked a spot in the Asia Cup 2023 final with a thrilling 41-run win over Sri Lanka in a low-scoring contest. As things stand, the winner of the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match will go through to the final of the competition to face India on September 17. But what if rain washes out the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka contest on September 14? Who goes through to the final in that case?
What happens if rain washes out Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match?
While Pakistan had emerged as an early favourite in this Asia Cup tournament with wins over Nepal and Bangladesh and an impressive bowling show against India, a massive 228-run loss to the Men in Blue in their last game in a rain-affected encounter showed that they need work, especially in their death bowling and batting departments. Sri Lanka on the other hand, had to blame their batting department for that loss to India, which has now left them in a do-or-die situation against Pakistan. If the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match on September 14 is washed out, then Dasun Shanaka and his team will make it to the final with Pakistan crashing out. This is so because a washout would mean points being split. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have the same number of points (2) and would jointly have (3) if rain plays spoilsport. But Sri Lanka will go through purely because of a superior net run rate which is (-0.200) as compared to Pakistan's (-1.892). Asia Cup 2023 Super Four Points Table Updated.
Is there a reserve day for the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2023 Super Four match?
Unfortunately no. The only contest in this Super Four stage which was assigned a reserve day by the Jay Shah-led Asian Cricket Council was the India vs Pakistan match. But with there being no reserve day for this match, both teams would be desperate to determine a justified winner and also hope that the rain stays away. Dunith Wellalage Wins Man of the Match Award For All-Round Performance in IND vs SL Asia Cup 2023 Super Four Match.
Apart from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh are also in the Super Four but have already lost all chances of making it to the last two. They would hope to sign off from the tournament on a high but beating India at this point of time seems a pretty tough ask.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 13, 2023 11:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).