The ACC must shift the location for the semifinals and finals due to heavy rain in Colombo.
Due to poor weather in Sri Lanka’s capital city, the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in Colombo, is moving to Hambantota. Later in the day, an official announcement from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is anticipated. Sri Lanka Cricket has proposed Hambantota, which is located in the south-east part of the island, as the appropriate location for the tournament.
On Sunday, the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup, which will feature a match between Pakistan and India. However, Colombo has seen significant rainfall over the past weekend and into this Monday, which has caused the ACC to look into alternative strategies to lessen the impact of rain on games. So far in the Sri Lanka leg, a match between India and Pakistan at Pallekele on Saturday was postponed, and on Monday, Rohit Sharma’s squad defeated Nepal by 10 wickets in a match that was postponed due to rain.
Discussions about moving the matches from Colombo to Pallekele and Dambulla have been ongoing since Sunday. Hambantota has emerged as an option, though, as the forecast for Pallekele does not inspire much confidence and the Rangiri Stadium in Dambulla is undergoing restoration. Given that it often doesn’t rain much in September, Hambantota seems to be the safer choice among the venues under consideration.
The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadi
um in Sooriyawewa is located adjacent to a jungle, and the nearest team accommodation is 45 kilometers away. According to The Indian Express, the ACC is working to resolve the logistical problems in Hambantota. The availability of hotel rooms for the four teams, the broadcast crew, which includes the commentators, and the match officials is currently one of the key issues.
The SLC is still adamant on maintaining the Super 4 stage in Colombo because it thinks the weather will become better over the course of the week and because moving the event to Hambantota will be a logistical headache.
The Indian squad is scheduled to depart for Colombo on Tuesday afternoon, where it would stay for the following few days, as of Monday night.
