- Coaches from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh express concern over reserve day allocation in Asia Cup 2023.
- Unequal treatment of teams in granting a reserve day only for India vs Pakistan match.
- Potential impact on tournament dynamics and team standings.
Sri Lanka’s head coach, Chris Silverwood, and Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, have expressed their concerns over what they perceive as an inequitable allocation of reserve days in the Asia Cup 2023.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) recently announced that only the highly anticipated India vs. Pakistan Super 4 stage match, scheduled for September 10 in Colombo, would benefit from a reserve day on September 11 in the event of weather interruptions.
During their respective pre-match press conferences ahead of the Super 4 match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, both coaches voiced their reservations about this decision.
Hathurusingha suggested that the decision may have been made by the technical committee, representing all six participating nations, but the reasoning behind it remains undisclosed. He hinted at a lack of consensus in determining the reserve day allocation and expressed his team’s desire for a fairer arrangement.
“It’s far from ideal that only India and Pakistan have been granted a reserve day for their match,” he remarked, clearly disappointed by the unequal treatment of teams.
Hathurusingha further pointed out that there appeared to be a lack of consultation with other teams before finalizing this decision, emphasizing their willingness to provide input had they been approached earlier.
Chris Silverwood, coach of the Sri Lankan team, admitted his surprise upon learning of the decision to provide an additional day exclusively for the India-Pakistan encounter. He acknowledged that they held limited influence over such decisions as they were not responsible for organizing the competition.
Silverwood also highlighted a potential issue with the reserve day: if it results in points being awarded to either India or Pakistan, it could create an unfair advantage in the tournament, ultimately impacting the standings of other teams.
“To be frank, I foresee it becoming problematic only if it results in points being given to the teams and subsequently affects our position,” Silverwood concluded, shedding light on the potential ramifications of this decision on the overall dynamics of the Asia Cup.
Also, see:
Pak vs Ind: Playing conditions for the reserve day
