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Cricket PlayersPakistan through to Super Four of Asia Cup 2023 after rain washes out promising India contest
Persistent rain urged match officials to call off the game between India and Pakistan on Saturday, leaving both teams to share a point each.
Rain had the final say at the Pallekele International Stadium as thousands of spectators at the venue and millions stayed glued on their television sets waiting for the second innings of the promising Asia Cup 2023 contest to resume in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Persistent rain urged match officials to call off the game between India and Pakistan on Saturday, leaving both teams to share a point each. And with that, Pakistan qualified for the Super Four stage of the continental event for the second successive time.
No play was possible after India made 266 in 48.5 overs. Ishan Kishan (82) and Hardik Pandya (87) were the pick of the batters with their respective half-century knocks that single-handedly helped the Men in Blue bounce back from 66 for four to 204 for five as they stitched a record 138-run stand, the highest fifth-wicket partnership for the team in an ODI match against Pakistan. Shaheen Afridi was the stand out bowler for Pakistan, ending with figures of four for 35 in 10 overs. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were at their impressive best as well as they picked three each, hence accounting for the remaining six wickets.
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Unfortunately, there was no more cricketing action thereafter with rain, that interrupted for the third and final time in the match, cutting short of the thriller of a contest.
With the single point gained by virtue of the match being called off, Pakistan made their way through to the next round in the tournament. They had earlier beaten qualifier and debutant Nepal in their opener on August 30 where Babar Azam's record 151 and Iftikhar Ahmed's maiden ton helped the two-time champions script an emphatic 238-run win in Multan.
Pakistan will now await the winner of the contest between India and Nepal on September 4 in Kandy to know the second participant from Group A to make the Super Four. India will have to win to go through and so will Nepal. Another washed out match would however tilt in favour of India, who will then have two points, compared to one of Nepal.
