Asia Cup: Venkatesh Prasad criticises reserve day only for Ind-Pak match

Venkatesh Prasad criticised Asian Cricket Council for having a reserve day only for the match between India and Pakistan in the Super four stage of the Asia Cup 2023

New Delhi: Former Indian cricketer Venkatesh Prasad criticised Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for having a reserve day only for the match between India and Pakistan in the Super four stage of the Asia Cup 2023.

ACC on Friday announced a reserve day for the match between India and Pakistan which is scheduled to take place on September 10 at R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. If adverse weather suspends play during the India and Pakistan game, the match will continue on September 11 from the point it was suspended.

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The former Indian bowler slammed ACC’s decision and said it is unethical to have different rules for two teams. “If true this is absolute shamelessness this. The organisers have made a mockery and it is unethical to have a tournament with rules being different for the other two teams. In the name of justice, will only be fair if it is abandoned the first day, may it rain harder on the second day and these malicious plans not succeed,” Ventakesh wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Friday.

Earlier Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha said on Friday that having a reserve day for only the India-Pakistan game was not ideal and that his team would have also liked have the advantage of a reserve day as rain was forecast for Colombo.

In the original tournament schedule only the Asia Cup final had a reserve day provision, but the India and Pakistan match has been given an exception by the Asian Cricket Council.

After match against Pakistan, India’s next scheduled match in the Super Four stage is versus Sri Lanka on September 12. The group stage match between India and Pakistan was called off due to rain, with both teams sharing one point each.

India were bundled out at 266 in 48.5 overs with Hardik Pandya’s 87 and Ishan Kishan’s 82 helping the team post a decent target. However, rain played spoilsport and the match was called off without Pakistan facing a single ball.

With rains also forecast in Colombo for the next week, the PCB, the official hosts of the tournament, were on board with plans to move the Colombo matches to Hambantota, but eventually, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) sent a mail to the stakeholders stating that the matches would be played in Colombo as originally scheduled, according to ESPNcricinfo.