Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have issued statements confirming that the decision to put a reserve day in place only for the Pakistan vs India clash in the Super Four on Sunday, September 10 was taken with the consent of all four countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) who will be featuring in the Super Four stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.
Both Sri Lanka Cricket and the Bangladesh Cricket Board took to 'X' formerly Twitter to affirm that they were involved in the decision-making process that led to the mutual agreement to have a reserve day for the India and Pakistan Super Four clash slated to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The decision to have a reserve day for the Indo-Pak Super Four game was made known to the public on Friday after the Pakistan Cricket Board posted on X to make the announcement.
The decision soon faced backlash on social media as netizens questioned why such a special arrangement was being made just for the Pakistan and India game and the final. Apart from the India-Pakistan Super Four match, four other fixtures will be played during the Super Four stage leading into the final on September 17. Still, the other encounters won't have a reserve day in case they get washed out.
As the backlash peaked, Sri Lanka Cricket and the Bangladesh Cricket Board issued clarity on the matter stating that the decision was taken based on a mutual agreement. However, the coaches of the Bangladesh cricket team and the Sri Lankan team didn't seem very pleased with the decision as soon as they came to know about it.
As per reports, the decision to have a reserve day for the India-Pakistan clash seems to have come into effect because of the stakeholders that are involved in the tournament, including the broadcasters, and sponsors among others.