Weather has been the major player in the Asia Cup 2023 and is still contributing to the tournament. Pakistan may be the primary victim.
The weather in Colombo has disturbed many, and the Pakistani team can be the prime victim in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023. Pakistan Sri Lanka match is scheduled today at 03:00 PM Sri Lanka time. However, even after an hour, there is no toss, meaning reduced overs are the only option for Pakistan to play and qualify for the final. However, the weather continues to play spoilsport in Colombo till now.
According to the latest reports, Colombo has a brighter sky. However, the drizzle is still there. The ground staff is trying to remove the water from the covers.
Another update is that if Pakistan and Sri Lanka play a 20-20 game today instead of an ODI, the cut-off time in Colombo is 09:02 PM. It means the management and ground staff have time till 09:02 PM to prepare the ground for a match. However, at 04:30 PM, we will start losing overs in a game.
Where do Sri Lanka and Pakistan stand now, and who will play the Final?
If the rain continues, and it becomes impossible to play the match, Sri Lanka will be in the Final of Asia Cup 2023 against India. The reason is that they have a better run rate, and the reason behind Pakistan’s worst run rate is their drastic defeat against India. More interestingly, only the Pakistan Super-4 match had a reserve day with the final. It means there is no reserve day for the Pakistan and Sri Lanka Super-4 match.
The current stats tell us that Sri Lanka and Pakistan have lost their last matches against India. However, the Sri Lankan team is psychologically better because they closed the Indian innings at 213.
Pakistan Squad
Pakistan has already announced its playing squad for the Pakistan and Sri Lanka Super-4 match. Imam-Ul-Haq is replaced by Abdullah Shafique. Muhammad Nawaz will be in the game, while Faheem Ashraf has been dropped. And in place of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, Muhammad Waseem (Jr.) and Zaman Khan will play. The latest update is that Muhammad Harris will play instead of Salman Ali Agha.
The following players are a part of Pakistani Playing XI:
Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zaman Khan
Sri Lanka Squad
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (capt), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana
