Asia Cup 2023: ACC to stick with Colombo for Super 4s matches, no change in schedule and venue; here's why

After strongly deliberating on shifting the Super 4s matches out of Colombo, the Asia Cricket Council (ACC) has reportedly decided to stick with the capital of Sri Lanka to stage the upcoming matches of the continental competition, including the final. Earlier, Sports Tak had reported that the ACC was thinking of moving the matches out of Colombo and staging them in Pallekele or Hambantota, the latter being the most favourable choice as the weather condition in the coastal city was promising.

The ACC now seems to have had a change of heart and they want to keep the schedule as it was earlier announced. The logistical issue would have played a role in the governing body deciding to stick with Colombo. Furthermore, the weather forecast in Colombo has become promising.

As per the original schedule, Colombo is slated to host its first match of the ongoing Asia Cup on September 9 (Saturday).

Altogether, six matches have been scheduled to be held in Colombo, including the final of the tournament. A total of five Super Fours contests are slated to be played in Colombo while one Super Fours match is scheduled to be played in Lahore.

The ongoing edition of the Asia Cup is being played in a hybrid model were Pakistan was given the rights to host four matches while Sri Lanka was asked to host nine games.

Interestingly, the weather has played spoilsport even in Pallekele, the most recent of which being the high-voltage contest between India and Pakistan. The fixture between the two arch-rivals that was played in Pallekele on September 2 (Saturday) came to a premature ending after the rain interfered after the completion of India's innings and officials were forced to call off the game. Even during India's clash against Nepal, the rain intervened frequently and in the end, the result was decided through the D/L method. 

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