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Chris Silverwood, the Sri Lanka coach, and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Cha n dika Hathurusingha, were critical of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for awarding the reserve day to the Pakistan vs India Super Fours match in the Asia Cup 2023 only, in a unilateral manner, on September 8, Friday. The ACC had made the announcement that the Indo-Pak fixture could continue on September 11, if the rains don’t allow it to finish on September 10.
The other matches in the Asia Cup 2023 Super Fours, including the one between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from the R Premadasa Stadium on September 9, will not have a reserve day, while the rains are predicted to lash down on the city of Colombo continuously for the next week or so. Bangladesh have already lost their first match of the ongoing Super Fours, against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, putting them in a precarious position for finals qualification.
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While speaking to the media ahead of the September 9 clash, the coach of Bangladesh, Chandika Hathurusingha was quoted as saying about the reserve day announcement from the ACC, as per India Today, “There is a technical committee (in the Asia Cup) represented by every participating country, 6 nations. They might have decided it for some other reason.”
He went on to state that, “It is not ideal, and we also would have liked to have an extra day.”
Meanwhile, Chris Silverwood, the Sri Lanka coach, was just as surprised as his Bangladeshi counterpart. He said, “Yeah! Look, obviously, I was a little surprised when I heard it first. But we don't organise the competition, so we can't do a whole lot about it, right?”
The Englishman also remarked that the reserve day could be a problem only if it helps the other teams gain points in the Asia Cup 2023 and not them. “To be honest, I see it only becoming a problem if it provides points to the teams, and affects us,” he added.
