The coaches of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were not happy with the way things were going in the Asia Cup cricket tournament. They didn’t think it was fair that only the match between India and Pakistan would have a reserve day, which means an extra day to play if it rains.
The tournament organizers, called the Asian Cricket Council, decided to add a reserve day for the India vs. Pakistan match. This day would be on September 11, just in case it rained on September 10 when the match was originally scheduled in Colombo. The weather forecasts didn’t look good, with a 90% chance of rain on the original match day.
If it rained on Sunday and they couldn’t finish the game, they would continue it on Monday. But here’s the part that made the other teams, like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, unhappy. Only India and Pakistan would get this extra chance to play. If the rain interrupted their matches, they would have to share points with their opponents.
Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were going to play the first Super 4 match in Colombo. The coaches of these teams were a bit annoyed about this special privilege for India and Pakistan.
Related: India vs. Pakistan is the only Super Four match in the Asia Cup that has a preserve day.
Bangladesh’s coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, mentioned that there was a committee with representatives from all six participating countries in the Asia Cup. They probably made this decision for some reason, but it seemed like they didn’t talk to the other teams about it. Hathurusingha said his team would have liked to have a reserve day too, but they weren’t given the chance to give their opinion.
He added, “It’s not ideal, and we also would have liked to have an extra day.” It seemed like the decision was made without considering the feelings of the other teams.
Sri Lanka’s coach, Chris Silverwood, also found the decision surprising. He mentioned that they didn’t organize the competition, so they couldn’t do much about it. He pointed out that the reserve day could create an unfair advantage for India or Pakistan if they got points from that day’s play and it affected the standings.
“To be honest, I see it only becoming a problem if it provides points to the teams and affects us,” Silverwood said. It seemed like he was worried that this special rule might impact the overall results of the tournament.
So, there you have it, the coaches of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh weren’t too happy about the special reserve day for India and Pakistan. They felt it wasn’t fair, especially if it ended up giving one of those teams an advantage in the tournament.
