The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has decided to stick to its original structure of conducting the Super Four stage Asia Cup 2023 matches in Colombo, considering that the weather has improved in the capital and that the facilities there are better in comparison to the other shortlisted venues —Dambulla or Hambantota.

Calls for shifting the matches out of Colombo grew after the marquee India-Pakistan clash at Pallekele was washed out last Saturday, and the heavy rainfall causing flood-like situation in the capital also made it unfavorable to host games. The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) then suggested moving the games to Dambulla or Hambantota but considering that the weather gradually cleared up and the logistical concerns of moving the tournament to another venue, meant that the five Super Four matches and the final will now be played in Colombo.

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The organizers were also wary of the logistical concerns as Hambantota, located in the southeastern part of Sri Lanka doesn’t have any hotels close to the stadium. And as such accommodating four teams, match officials, commentators and the broadcast crew, would have been a challenge in itself.

Meanwhile, facing criticism over the decision to conduct the Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka with rain affecting most games, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Jay Shah justified the call, saying that the island nation was picked as a venue because hosting the tournament in the UAE was not possible because of the extreme heat conditions.

Former Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi had criticized the ACC’s decision to conduct the games in Sri Lanka after the India-Pakistan game was washed out and subsequently the next match between the seven-time champions and Nepal was also curtailed due to wet outfield. The ongoing edition of the Asia Cup is being conducted in a hybrid mode after the BCCI had cited safety concerns over travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.

Reacting to the criticisms, Shah had issued a statement saying that the decision was taken after consultations with high-performance teams, who felt that the heat in the UAW could eventually increase chances of fatigue and injuries just before the all-important ICC World Cup 2023 in India next month.

“The Asia Cup 2022 edition was played in the UAE in the T20 format. It’s important to emphasize that the dynamics of a T20 tournament cannot be directly compared to those of a 100-over One-day format. In this context, ACC members received feedback from their respective high-performance teams, expressing concerns about playing One-day matches in the UAE in the month of September. Such a schedule could have potentially led to player fatigue and an increased risk of injuries, particularly right before the all-important ICC Cricket World Cup,” Shah said in a statement.

While the weather forecast for Colombo for the next couple of weeks isn’t encouraging, there are chances of rain interruptions.