‘Absolute shamelessness’ – Venkatesh Prasad launches scathing attack on ACC over India-Pakistan reserve day

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad lashed out at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) after reports emerged that there will be a reserve day in place if the India-Pakistan Super Four fixture happens to wash out on the stipulated day. Notably, the two arch-rivals are set to cross swords in the Super Four stage on Sunday, September 10, at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Much like the first meeting, weather reports suggest that there is a high probability of showers at the venue on Sunday which is likely to interrupt the flow of the high-voltage contest between the two sides. On that note, the ACC decided to hold discussions with the boards of the participating teams to allocate a reserve day for the India-Pakistan clash.

However, the unilateral decision by the ACC did not go down well with one former cricketer – Venkatesh Prasad, as he took to his social media handle to launch a scathing remark on the decision of having a reserve day in place for just two teams and further deemed it as ‘unethical’.

Check: PAK vs IND Live Match Updates 2023

“If true, this is absolute shamelessness. The organisers have made a mockery and it is unethical to have a tournament with rules being different for the other two teams. In the name of justice, will only be fair if it is abandoned the first day, may it rain harder on the second day and these malicious plans not succeed,” Venkatesh shared on his ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) handle.

Considering the high stakes of the match and the weather conditions, the boards of the four teams participating in the Super Four stage confirmed that there would be a reserve day for the match and it would be Monday, September 11. This comes after the clash between the two rivals was washed out in Kandy in the group stage, followed by India’s second fixture being interrupted due to rain for a brief moment against Nepal.  

Speaking about the Super Fours of the Asia Cup, Pakistan are heading into the next fixture on the back of a seven-wicket win against Bangladesh in their first game. On the other hand, India will begin their campaign in this round against their arch-rivals followed by fixtures against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh on September 12 and 14, respectively. 

Check: PAK vs IND Live Weather Updates 2023