The India vs Sri Lanka Asia Cup 2023 final faces the rain threat on September 17. The final will also be played R Premadasa International stadium in Colombo. After are relatively dry spell on September 16 and 16, the weather is expected to turn gloomy for cricket fans. There have been several start-stops in the tournament, especially in the Super 4 leg, which was mostly played in Colombo.
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Luckily, the only match that got washed out was the India vs Pakistan group stage game on September 2 in Kandy. Despite heavy rains, only 16 overs were lost in Super 4s, which is a testament to the hard work of groundstaff, who have had a tough time in the last one week, running to and from the pitch with covers every now and then.
There was so much talk about rain and interruptions. Interestingly, just 16 overs lost in the entire Super 4 stage. Truly a great job by Sri Lanka’s grounds personnel. #AsiaCup2023— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) September 15, 2023
The final between India and Sri Lanka is likely to see the same fate as good amount of rainfall is predicted on Sunday, the day of the match.
Colombo Weather Update: September 17
As per Accuweather, Colombo is predicted to see pricipitation of 90 percent on September 17. There is most likely to be a 99 percent of cloud cover with wind blowing at 15 km per hour. The match will start at 3 pm IST and in afternoon the probability of rain is 90 percent. The weather prediction does not change much till night.
Weather will play a big role on result of the final. The team winning the toss will be looking to set a target as chasing can be tricky in a rain-affected match as Duckworth-Lewis method comes into force to change the scenarios. Also, the teams will have to wait and watch how much it rains ahead of the toss to pick the best XI. If it rains a lot ahead of the toss and pitch is under cover, it is most likely to change the nature of the surface.
Also, with non-stop cricket played at R Premadasa in Super 4, the tracks have already tired out. Expect the runs to come hard with plenty of rain also predicted on September 17. Team India and Sri Lanka will have to bat cautiously at the start to avoid any hiccups while batting. Spinners could come into play in the final. Sri Lanka and India have quality spinners in their team.
The good thing is that the final has a reserve day. The only other reserve day was for India vs Pakistan Super 4 clash. If the match doen not take place on September 17, it will start on September 18. If the September 18 also sees a washout, then both teams will share the honours.
Source: Zee News