India v Pakistan Asia Cup match to have reserve day amid rain threat

The Super Four clash between India and Pakistan at the Asia Cup in Colombo will now have a reserve day to ensure a full game as weather threatens to disrupt play.

The first match of the tournament between the rivals in Kandy was washed out after persistent rain ensured the second innings never got underway. With the India-Pakistan match seen as the marquee clash of the tournament, or any other tournament for that matter, organisers have gone the extra mile to provide a reserve day for just this match, apart from the final of the tournament.

According to the new playing conditions, Sunday's match at the R Premadasa Stadium will be completed on Monday if there are rain interruptions. Only 20 overs need to be bowled in the second innings for a match to be considered complete, which raises the prospect of a result.

However, the change of rules just for one fixture during the tournament has raised questions about the fairness of the process, and also what it means for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who are also part of the Super Four stage, which began in Lahore where tournament hosts Pakistan eased to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Also, the match could have been moved out of Colombo to a drier part of the country, like Hambantota, but organisers could not come to a consensus over moving the tournament despite hectic backroom negotiations.

The prediction for the next few days in Colombo is not promising. It has been raining regularly in Sri Lanka's capital and according to the UK's Met office, there is a 70 per cent chance of rain for most of Sunday and Monday.

However, there is a ray of hope as rain was predicted for the India-Nepal game as well but the weather cleared up enough in the evening for a 23-over second innings