After back and forth, Asia Cricket Council (ACC) has made it official that Colombo will host all Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 matches as well as the final. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) requested Jay Shah-led ACC to shift the venue to Hambantota or Lahore. However, ACC decided against shifting venues even after confirming.
On Thursday, ACC officially announced that the Colombo leg of Asia Cup 2023 will go ahead as planned.
Till Tuesday morning, it was certain that the bad weather in Colombo would force Asia Cup 2023 Super matches to Hambantota. Even ACC sent out emails to the participating teams confirming the shift of venues. However, on Tuesday afternoon, in uno reverse, ACC retracted the previous email, confirming that Colombo will host the matches as scheduled.
Will weather spare Asia Cup Colombo leg?
Despite being at loggerheads with Jay Shah, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s intentions were clear. If rain forces another washout of India vs Pakistan match, it is PCB and the broadcaster who will lose the most.
As things stand, as per weather forecast stations, there is an 80-90% chance of rain every day for the next 10 days. On Sunday (Sep 10), the day of India vs Pakistan match, there is a 95% chance of rain.
Another no result in India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 clash would put Jay Shah under more pressure. It was Jay Shah and BCCI who forced Asia Cup 2023 out of Pakistan and Sri Lanka was chosen as the co-hosts despite early warnings of rain.
Considering that fact, Pakistan Cricket Board is extremely unhappy. PCB has lodged a strong protest against Jay Shah for not safeguarding crucial matches and almost singlehandedly halting shifting matches out of Colombo. It called for an immediate ACC executive board meeting. However, as it seems, Colombo will host matches even though there is a huge rain threat and even flash floods.
On Thursday, India Cricket Team was forced to practice indoors with heavy rains in Colombo.
Asia Cup 2023 Schedule – Revised
| Date | Venue | Match | Stage | Match Timing/Result |
| 6 Sep | Lahore | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Super 4 | 3:00 PM IST (Pak win by 7 wickets) |
| 9 Sep | Colombo | Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Super 4 | 3:00 PM IST |
| 10 Sep | Colombo | India vs Pakistan | Super 4 | 3:00 PM IST |
| 11 Sep | Colombo | Reserve Day | (Ind won by 228 runs) | |
| 12 Sep | Colombo | India vs Sri Lanka | Super 4 | (India won by 41 runs) |
| 14 Sep | Colombo | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka | Super 4 | (Sri Lanka won by 2 wickets) |
| 15 Sep | Colombo | India vs Bangladesh | Super 4 | 3:00 PM IST |
| 17 Sep | Colombo | Final | 3:00 PM IST | |
| 18 Sep | Colombo | Reserve Day |
