Daily Times

COLOMBO: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said on Saturday his side will have an edge over India in their Asia Cup Super Four clash, with a bowling line-up ready to win matches and tournaments.

The arch-rivals meet again in Colombo on Sunday after their group match was abandoned due to rain, which has played havoc with the 50-over tournament that is a precursor to the upcoming ODI World Cup in India.

Rain, however, threatens the match between the Asian giants.

Pakistan won their opening match of the Super Four stage and a second win will further enhance their chances of making the final on Sept 17. But rain in the Sri Lankan capital is expected to play spoilsport again in the match, for which a reserve day has been kept aside.

“You can say we have the edge as we have played back-to-back cricket here (in Sri Lanka) and in Pakistan,” Azam told reporters. “It has been two-and-a-half months in Sri Lanka including the Test series, Lanka Premier League, Afghanistan series, and now the Asia Cup.

“So you can say it will be an advantage (for us).” Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf have stood out with 23 wickets between them and played a key role in the team’s performance so far.

Shaheen, a left-arm quick who leads the bowling, rattled India with his opening burst in the group match, taking the key wickets of skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

Azam said the team believes their bowlers can win them titles. “Proud to have the fast bowlers that we have. One of the best (in the world),” said Azam.

“Fast bowlers win you tournaments and matches and I have total belief (in) them. The line-up that we have including Naseem and Faheem (Ashraf) is the best lot that we have. They have the belief and how they bowl in partnerships.

In order to ensure completion of Pakistan and India encounter in Asia Cup, the authorities on Friday announced that a reserve day had been introduced for the Super Four contest.

The second match between the two giants is scheduled to be played on Sunday (Sept 10). There is a forecast of rain on Sunday.

Earlier, rain washed out the Pakistan-India ODI at the Pallakele Stadium in Sri Lanka on Sept 2 and brought about an anticlimactic end as the Green Shirts were left waiting for their chance to bat. Like group A match, the Super Fours encounter between South Asian rivals is also likely to be impacted by rain. Group-stage showdown between both teams was washed out.

Fans hoping to see a full match between Pakistan and India could be in for more disappointment with the weather forecast predicting more rain during Sunday’s Asia Cup match.

Both teams made it to the Super 4 stage of the tournament. The main leg of which will be held in Sri Lanka due to India’s reluctance to play in Pakistan – the original hosts of the tournament.

After the highly-anticipated group game between Pakistan and India was washed out in Kandy over the weekend, organisers were forced to regroup and look at other venue options in the country that were relatively dry.

According to reports, Hambantota in the southern part of Sri Lank was seen as an option as the weather there is more conducive for a 50-over match. However, Colombo, in the western part of the country, has retained its hosting rights for now, despite rain being predicted for most of the next 10 days.

If the Super 4 match between the neighbours takes place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo – there still could be a last-minute change – then we could be in for more rain interruptions.

According to the UK’s Met Office, there is a 70 per cent chance of rain throughout the day. However, according to the BBC there is lesser chance of rain on match day. Also, the weather has eased in Colombo over the last few days, having witnessed flooding earlier.

India’s match against Pakistan at Pallekele was set up perfectly after Rohit Sharma’s team posted 266, thanks to blazing fifties from Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya. Pakistan fast bowlers, led by Shaheen Afridi, were at the top of their game and took all 10 wickets. However, the second innings never started as persistent rain ruined any chance of even a 20-over contest.

The tournament has been plagued by disjointed fixtures, teams moving back and forth between countries, and uncertainty over venues due to the weather. If the matches go ahead in Colombo and Sunday’s game is another washout, the tournament organisers will have to answer some tough questions from member boards, broadcasters and fans.