IND vs PAK: Umpires explain how conditions were dangerous for players despite one hour of rain in Colombo

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IND vs PAK: The Super Four match of the Asia Cup 2023 between India and Pakistan could only witness 24.1 overs of play after rain played spoilsport at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

A reserve day has been kept for the match and the action will resume from 3 PM on Monday. The overs were not reduced on Sunday and therefore a 50-over per-side game will be the key agenda of match officials if weather permits.

India were batting on 147/2 in 24.1 overs when heavy rain forced players out of the ground. The covers were brought in immediately around 4:55 PM. The groundsmen started peeling off the cover around 5:55 PM and waited until 8:30 PM before another spell of rain deemed the covers to be brought back again. A decision to call off the match and take it to the reserve day was taken moments later.

IND vs PAK: Why did not the play not start despite no rain for almost 3 hours?

Umpires Chris Gaffaney and Ruchira Palliyaguruge explained the situation to broadcasters Star Sports after the second round of inspection at 8 PM IST. They said they were aiming for a 9 PM start after the third inspection at 8:30 PM.

Explaining the reason behind the delay, Gaffaney informed that the area around square leg and point was wet and soft, making it dangerous for the players who are set to feature in the upcoming World Cup 2023 which starts from October 5 in India.

Not only the umpires but the players also showed reluctance to get back on the field. India are already facing issues regarding the fitness of their key players. KL Rahul made a comeback in the match after an injury break of over four months.

Shreyas Iyer, who also made a comeback from injury in the Asia Cup 2023, was ruled out of the playing eleven just before the start of the match due to back spasm. Jasprit Bumrah hasn't bowled in an ODI match for India in over one year.

"We've got two main issues - at point and square leg - two high-traffic areas where it's wet and soft. The foundation of the ground is too soft and too wet and it's dangerous to continue right now. Hopefully with another 10-12 minutes of drying, it gets good enough for play," Chris Gaffaney said.

"Ideally we'll try to give as much to both teams (in terms of overs). But it depends on how fit the ground is. We're aiming for 9 o clock, but we will see. If we get more rain now and we don't get going today, we'll start off at 3 o'clock tomorrow for a 50-over game starting with India at 24.1 overs," he added.

"We're trying our best to get the game going. Possible by 9 o'clock, but it all depends [on the weather and the drying process. Whatever the decision we make after the inspection. Suppose we start at 9 o clock for a 34-over game, and rain comes. We'll come back tomorrow at 34-over game," Ruchira Palliyaguruge said just before the reserve day was activated.

There is a high chance of rain in Colombo on Monday as well. India will face Sri Lanka in their second Super Four match on Tuesday at the same venue. This would be an extremely rare instance which will see Indian ODI team in action on three consecutive days.