Incessant rainfall in Colombo could force the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to rethink on conducting the Asia Cup Super 4 games in the Sri Lankan capital. The ongoing tournament has already suffered a casualty after the marquee clash between India and Pakistan was washed out on Saturday.
There is more bad news in store for cricket fans as Colombo, also the venue for the Asia Cup final, is facing a flood-like situation due to the heavy downpour putting the knockout games of the tournament in jeopardy.
Although the first match in Colombo is only on September 9, the weather predictions aren’t promising for conducting cricket matches and in that scenario the organizers could mull over shifting venues. The city is scheduled to host five matches in the Super Four round on September 9, 10, 12, 14 and 15 at the R Premadasa stadium while the final will be played on September 17.
And in such a scenario, Pallekele, Dambulla and Hambantota are tipped as the alternate options where the games could be conducted. But given the current weather in Pallekele, there are high risks of games being interrupted.
Sources close to the developments said that the ACC is closely monitoring the weather conditions and the match readiness of the stadiums at Dambulla and Hambantota, and the same has also been communicated to all six participating teams.
Earlier, when the ACC decided to conduct the Asia Cup in a hybrid model with Sri Lanka as the second venue besides hosts Pakistan, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had suggested hosting the event in Dambulla, a dry region in the central part of the country.
The ongoing 16th edition of the Asia Cup is being played in a hybrid model after the Indian board had cited security concerns and ruled out travelling to the neighbouring country for the six-nation tournament.
On Saturday, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi criticised the ACC for not choosing UAE or Dambulla and going for two coastal towns in Pallekele and Colombo in monsoon months.
The Met Department has predicted that the prevailing showers will continue until September 7. The rains could intensify in the southwestern part of Sri Lanka due to the active southwest monsoon conditions.
As such, India’s game against Nepal on Monday could also prove to be a damp squib as the probability of precipitation stands at 60 percent in the morning and will go up to 71 percent in the afternoon before dropping to 44 percent in the evening.
With the weatherman predicting continuous rainfall for the next week, the chances of India’s possible second outing against Pakistan (based on the pre-event seeding) in the Super Four on September 10 could also be affected if it’s held in Colombo.
The ACC is likely to take a final call on the issue in the next couple of days but given the current situation in Colombo, there are high chances of change in venue.