With many criticisms on the decision to add reserve day for the IND-PAK clash in the Super Fours of the Asia Cup 2023.
Arjuna Ranatunga slams ACC council for IND-PAK match reserve day
India and Sri Lanka have qualified for the finals in the continental event. India won the match in the highly anticipated IND-PAK clash in the Super Fours with a 228-run difference. The IND-PAK clash in the group stage has been canceled due to rain intervention.
The announcement of reserve day by the Pakistan Cricket Board for the particular match despite the same weather conditions during the other Super Four matches has raised many criticisms. The match which was originally scheduled on September 10 but was stopped due to rain and continued on Monday. Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga said that this will put cricket in danger.
“You take the Asia Cup. You have rules before the tournament, but before that one game, they changed the rules,” Ranatunga said on PTI with members of the media. “Where is ACC? Where is ICC? I am not very comfortable when you have a tournament where you change the rules for one team. You are looking at a disaster in the future.
“I feel very sad for ICC and ACC because they just want to hold the positions. Former cricketers too don’t open, simply because they need the bucks.”
“I haven’t seen this kind of thing in another tournament, this changing rules in the middle of the tournament,” Hathurusinghe had said at a press conference, while Silverwood had said, “It was a little surprise when I first heard [that].”
“I won’t be surprised if they change the rule before the India-Pakistan game [at the upcoming ODI World Cup],” Ranatunga went on. “ICC will keep their mouth shut and say ‘okay, do it’. ICC just talks rubbish, nothing happens.”
Ranatunga said cricket World should no be governed by one board or individual and other boards should stand for their rights.
“Why do the other countries allow that to happen,” Ranatunga said. “Because the BCCI is powerful, or one particular person is powerful. No, it can’t happen like that. They should have given an extra day for all the games if that was the case,” he concluded.
India is currently playing in the last match of the Super Fours. They will be playing against Sri Lanka in the finals of the Asia Cup 2023 on September 17 at R. Premadasa Stadium.
