Former pace bowler Venkatesh Prasad has expressed strong criticism of the Asian Cricket Council's (ACC) decision to allocate a reserve day for the Super Four clash between India and Pakistan.
The initial encounter between the two cricketing giants had to be abandoned due to persistent rain. Prior to this, Pakistan had secured their spot in the Super Four stage by defeating Nepal, while India, making their tournament debut, needed to secure a victory against Nepal to advance to the next round.
In light of the unpredictable weather conditions and the high stakes associated with the match, the ACC opted to designate a reserve day for the Super Four fixture between India and Pakistan. This decision was a direct response to the looming threat of adverse weather, providing the flexibility to continue the match on the following day if rain were to disrupt the proceedings. Notably, this was a unique arrangement, as no other games in the Asia Cup, except the final, were afforded the luxury of a reserve day.
The reserve day for the India vs. Pakistan match was scheduled for September 11th, 2023, to be held at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo. This decision was influenced by the fact that the group stage clash between the two teams in Pallekele was the sole match to experience a washout. Faced with the possibility of another substantial rain interruption during their match on Sunday, tournament organizers opted to include a reserve day on Monday.
However, this decision has stirred controversy, particularly among stakeholders of other Super Four matches that were not granted the same privilege. Both Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood and Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurasingha expressed their displeasure with the ACC's unilateral choice to provide a reserve day exclusively for the India-Pakistan encounter.
In response to these developments, Venkatesh Prasad criticized the ACC for what he considered an unjust decision to allocate a reserve day specifically for the India vs. Pakistan clash. He asserted that it would be unethical if the tournament rules were applied differently to just two participating teams.
Prasad even went on to express his hope for heavier rainfall on the reserve day should the match extend to September 11th, in a somewhat satirical remark aimed at highlighting what he perceived as an unjust situation.
In Prasad's words: "If this is true, it is absolute shamelessness. The organizers have made a mockery of the tournament, and it is unethical to have a competition with rules that differ for only two teams. In the pursuit of fairness, it would only be just if the match is abandoned on the first day, and should it rain harder on the second day, may these questionable intentions not succeed," emphasized Prasad in his statement.
