The highly anticipated India-Pakistan match in the Asia Cup only saw one innings due to rain, causing the game to be abandoned on Saturday. India chose to bat first and were dismissed for 266 runs in 48.3 overs.
Pakistan couldn’t start their reply due to the bad weather, marking the abandonment of the first one-day international (ODI) encounter between these rivals since the 2019 World Cup in England.
As a result of the rain, both teams shared points. Pakistan advanced to the Super Fours after defeating Nepal, while India’s path to the next round depends on a victory against Nepal in their final group game.
Rain caused a pause in the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 match, with covers placed on the pitch
After the match’s abandonment, former Pakistan Cricket Board chair Najam Sethi, who temporarily led the PCB after Ramiz Raja’s removal as chairman last year, criticized the Asian Cricket Council for the scheduling of the Asia Cup.
Initially, there was a significant delay in announcing the tournament’s dates because Pakistan was supposed to host it entirely. However, due to reservations from the BCCI regarding traveling to Pakistan due to political tensions, Sri Lanka was chosen as a co-host.
In a post on the social media platform X following the match’s abandonment, Sethi mentioned that he had recommended the United Arab Emirates as the venue for the prestigious continental tournament.
“How disappointing! Rain mars the greatest contest in cricket. But this was forecast. As PCB Chair, I urged the ACC to play in UAE but poor excuses were made to accommodate Sri Lanka. Too hot in Dubai”, they said.
“But it was as hot when the Asia Cup was played there last time in Sep 2022 or when IPL was played there in April 2014 and Sep 2020. Politics over sport. Unforgivable!” Sethi wrote.
How disappointing! Rain mars the greatest contest in cricket. But this was forecast. As PCB Chair, I urged the ACC to play in UAE but poor excuses were made to accommodate Sri Lanka. Too hot in Dubai, they said. But it was as hot when the Asia Cup was played there last time in…
— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) September 2, 2023
It’s worth noting that the Asia Cup was held in the UAE in September last year, but it was in the T20I format, and all matches were scheduled for nighttime.
Similarly, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is also played in the T20 format and was held in the UAE in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regarding India’s innings, they faced a tough challenge from Pakistan’s formidable pace trio, all consistently bowling at speeds exceeding 140 kph.
Shaheen Afridi stood out with four wickets, while Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf each took three. Haris Rauf later dismissed Shubman Gill (10) and Shreyas Iyer (14), adding to India’s woes as they reached a challenging 66-4.
However, India’s revival was led by an impressive fifth-wicket partnership between Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan, who accumulated 138 runs from 141 deliveries.
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