Asia Cup 2023: Five of the 6 Super-4 matches are likely to be shifted from Colombo to Hambantota due to heavy rain in the capital city, India Today reported on Monday. As per the original schedule, Colombo is to host five of six Super-4 matches, while one match is to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
However, Colombo has been witnessing moderate to heavy rainfall in the past few days and the weather forecast for the next few days is not favorable. Due to this, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is likely to shift the five matches to the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota.
Hambantota, which is in the southern province of Sri Lanka, recently hosted the first two matches of a 3-match ODI series between Pakistan and Afghanistan on August 22 and 24. The weather forecast for this region does not show rai during the next few days.
Sri Lanka’s weather forecasting agency on Monday said showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, and North-western provinces on September 5. “Fairly heavy showers are likely at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara, and Nuwara-eliya districts,” the agency said, adding that a few showers are also likely in Jaffna, Mannar and Anuradhapura districts.
The first Super-4 match will be played in Lahore on September 6 while the last match will be played on September 15 before the final on September 17.
India and Pakistan are likely to clash in a Super-4 match on September 10. Their first high-octane encounter was washed out in Kandy, which too has been receiving showers.
So far, the group-stage matches have been played in Sri Lanka’s Kandy and Pakistan. Matches in Kandy have been affected by rain.
Earlier today, it was reported that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf had contacted the ACC President and BCCI secretary Jay Shah to shift the remaining matches to Pakistan.
Ashraf told Shah that the remaining Asia Cup matches could be shifted to Pakistan since there is no rainfall forecast in the country for the entire month. Shah replied and said that the ACC is monitoring the situation, Pakistan-based Dawn News reported.
