The stage is set for the Asia Cup 2023, which will determine which team will join India in the tournament’s final.
Rohit Sharma’s men advanced to the final after two convincing victories in the Super 4s against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the remaining two contenders, while Bangladesh has already been eliminated.
Also read: Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan announces playing XI with changes against Sri Lanka
The Asia Cup teams have had an interesting journey, with rain disrupting their preliminary plans. But what if the Super 4 match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan is also rained out?
Is there a reserve day in place?
The Asian Cricket Council has scheduled a reserve day for the India vs. Pakistan Super 4 match, but no such arrangement has been made for the Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan match. For the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan to be decided, a 20-over-per-side contest would be required on Thursday.
What happens if rain washes out play?
Rain has already affected numerous matches in the Asia Cup 2023, and it very well may do so again for the Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka Super 4 match on Thursday in Colombo.
It should be noted that in case of a total washout, the Sri Lankan team would reach to the final because they had a higher Net Run Rate than Pakistan.
Despite having the same number of points (2) as Pakistan, Sri Lanka is currently ranked second in the Super 4 points standings. Each of the teams has one victory and one defeat.
However, Pakistan’s results are so significant that they are currently ranked third with a lower Net Run Rate than their Super 4 rivals.
Pakistan’s NRR is -1.892, while Sri Lanka’s is -0.200. Pakistan must therefore play today because defeating the Lankans is their only chance to advance to the championship game.
Additionally, it should be noted that the Asia Cup has never featured a final between India and Pakistan, arguably the two fiercest rivals in the sport.
India advanced to the championship game and will try to make it seven Asia Cup titles overall (in ODI format) due to their outstanding performance in the Super 4 stage. Pakistan has won the competition twice, while Sri Lanka has five victories in the 50-over format.
