Asia Cup 2023: Rain to the rescue as Pakistan’s faltering run chase gets a welcome break

Pakistan were 44-2 at the end of 11th over in their pursuit of a 357-run target against India in the rain-affected Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023 match in Colombo before rain interrupted play.

Summary

Simply put, this hasn’t been Pakistan’s game.

They were horrendous in the field and they’ve been just as bad with the bat so far.

Chasing a gargantuan total, they’ve been rocked twice already and captain Babar is back in the pavilion.

Only rain or a miracle of miracles can save the Men in Green from a defeat. Talking of rain, here it comes for the umpteenth time in this sorry match.

Pakistan’s innings

11th over

Babar — after scoring 10 off 24 balls — was sent back to the pavilion by Hardik Pandya who was brought into the attack by the Indian skipper. Three don’t and one that nipped back in did it for the skipper. Mohammad Rizwan has come to the crease as Pakistan stand at 44 for the loss of two wickets.

10th over

Babar dispatches Siraj to the covers in the 10th over on the fourth delivery. A flick of the pads was sent to the midwicket boundary. A single more from the over ends the powerplay with Pakistan at 43 for the loss of one wicket.

9th over

Bumrah continues with his fifth over and dispatched for a boundary behind point. A really good backfoot punch from the skipper. Back-to-back eight runs from two overs as Pakistan looks to build for the huge total. Pakistan’s score stand at 38 for the loss of one wicket.

8th over

Fakhar opens his arms against Siraj in the eighth over as the Green Team looked to ease off some pressure. A single, two byes and a double ends the eighth over with eight runs from it. Pakistan now 30 for the loss of one wicket.

7th over

Bumrah bowls another excellent over following his wicket maiden over in the fifth. A single from it as the pacers pile up pressure on the Pakistani top order. Pakistan now 21 at the end of the sixth over having lost Imam.

6th over

Fakhar gets off the mark on the fourth delivery from Siraj’s over who has bowled really well from the start of Pakistan’s batting. Both Indian pacers helping each other in the first spell. Three runs from it ends the sixth over with Pakistan’s score placed at 20 at the loss of one.

5th over

Bumrah strikes in the fifth over as he sends Imam back to the pavilion. A perfect line got Imam’s outside edge and Gill held onto a comfortable grab. Bumrah hit the pads upfront to the skipper who came out to bat at number three. Bumrah, the only one convinced, appealed to no avail. A wicket maiden from Bumrah ends the fifth over with Pakistan at 17 for the loss of one wicket.

4th over

Another good over from India with Siraj continuing the attack alongside Bumrah. Another wide and a single from Siraj’s second bring Pakistan’s total to 17 at the end of fourth over.

3rd over

A very good over from pacer Bumrah giving away only three runs and a wide. India leaking runs through extras at the start of the second innings. Pakistan now 15 for the loss of no wickets.

2nd over

Mohammed Siraj started the second over for the Men in Blue. The pacer started well but was dispatched for a boundary by Imam on the third delivery of the over. A single and a wide ends the over with six runs from the over. Both Imam and Fakhar look vary of the Indian pacers first up.

1st over

Five wides and six dots end the first over for Pakistan. Fakhar Zaman and Imamul Haq came out to bat for the Green Team as Bumrah started the innings with the new ball. Pakistan score stood at five for the loss of no wickets after the first over.

India’s innings

50th over

A wicketless day for Pakistan comes to an end. Both the batters come from the ground with more than a century of runs each. It has been a batting masterclass from the two experienced Indian batters. Rahul makes a comeback with a century of runs. The ever-great Kohli was faultless. India crossed the 350 mark in the fiftieth over. 18 from the last over to bring the Indian total to 356 for the loss of two wickets.

49th over

Naseem was taken off after his second delivery, we hope that the pacer is okay. Iftikhar replaced him giving away eight runs from the over. Indian total now stand at 338 for the loss of two wickets.

48th over

The great, Virat Kohli, completed his13,000 runs in the ODI format and a century of runs against the Green Team, Both batters stand at a century of runs in the 48th over. Rahul opened his hands against Shaheen after he completed 100 runs, swatting back-to-back boundaries against the southpaw to bring from the 48th over. Indian total now stand at 330 for the loss of two wickets.

47th over

Kohli smashed Naseem for a six, similar to his shot against Haris Rauf at the MCG. A good length delivery sent over the ropes towards long off. Rahul completed his century with a double on the last ball of the 47th over. 12 from the over as the Indian stand at 319 for the loss of two wickets.

46th over

The Indian batters got stuck with Shaheen’s ninth over as they tried to open their arms against the southpaw. Seven runs from the over brings the Indian total to 307 for the loss of two wickets.

45th over

Faheem was brought back into the attack by the Pakistani skipper after Iftikhar proved to be expensive. The onslaught, however, was not to be stopped as the Indian side accumulated 14 runs from the 45th over. The over also consequently brought up 300 runs for the blue team.

44th over

Naseem was brought back to bowl the 44th over as India continued to take charge to the Pakistani bowlers. A good over by Naseem under the conditions. Six from it brings the Indian total to 286 for the loss of two wickets.

43rd over

Iftikhar was slapped for a boundary over the ropes ads the great man came down the crease to get closer to the pitch of the delivery. 16 from the over as two doubles and two singles along with a four ana six brings the Indian total to 280 for the loss of two wickets

42nd over

Shaheen came back into the attack as a little bit of pressure was applied from the Pakistan side. Kohli skied one down the fine leg against as the pacer Naseem scrambled to the ball but couldn’t grab it as the ball fell a few metres in front. Rahul went after Shaheen on the last ball and scythed past backward point to bring nine runs from the over. Indian total now stand at 264 for the loss of two wickets.

41st over

Four singles from Iftikhar over brought the Indian score to 255 for the loss of two wickets. A tight over by Pakistan after some time. The fourth wicket partnership now stands at 131from 139 balls.

40th over

Faheem was targeted by Kohli as he was dispatched on the first delivery of the 40th over. 250 up for India at the loss of two wickets, eight of Faheem’s eighth over.

39th over

Virat Kohli brought up his 66th odi half-century in the 39th over. A boundary from Rahul on the last bowl ruined what was a good over until then by Shadab. Six from it bring the Indian total to 243 for the loss of two wicket.

38th over

An inside edge of Kohli’s bat went to the boundary behind fine leg for a four. Pakistan trying to control the run rate. Wickets in hand for the blue team should not worry the Indian side. Good over from Faheem, two singles and an unlucky boundary gives six runs in the 38th over. India now 237 for the loss of two wickets.

37th over

The Pakistani bowlers tried to keep it tight in what looks like a really good batting wicket. Three singles from Shadab’s ninth brought the Indian score to 231 for the loss of two wickets. Kohli and Rahul both tried to go after the leggie but a tight over from Shadab ends the 37th.

36th over

Virat tried to lash at Faheem but the pacer kept it tight and gave only three runs from the 36th over. Indian side now 228 for the loss of two wickets.

35th over

Rahul continued the charge against the spinners, getting 10 runs off the first two balls. Four single from the last four bowls from Shadab ended the 35th over with the Indian score at 225 for the loss of two wickets.

34th over

Rahul’s half-century came up with a single against Faheem who was brought back into the attack. Kohli slashed at Faheem on the third delivery of the 34th over. Seven from Faheem’s fifth brought the Indian total to 211 for the loss of two wickets.

35th over

Rahul continued the charge against the spinners, getting 10 runs off the first two balls. Four single from the last four bowls from Shadab ended the 35th over with the Indian score at 225 for the loss of two wickets.

34th over

Rahul’s half-century came up with a single against Faheem who was brought back into the attack. Kohli slashed at Faheem on the third delivery of the 34th over. Seven from Faheem’s fifth brought the Indian total to 211 for the loss of two wickets.

33rd over

Rahul stepped out on the fourth ball of the 33rd over and lifted it over the mid-off fielder for a boundary. Kohli mirrored his batting partner as he guided the bowl down to third man for a boundary. Valiant effort from Shaheen but he couldn’t keep the ball from touching the ropes. India now 204 for the loss of two wickets after the end of 33rd.

32nd over

Shaheen leaked seven runs in the 32nd over as Kohli manipulated Fakhar over the boundary. Three doubles and a single brings the Indian score to 193 for the loss of two wickets.

31st over

Iftikhar was dispatched over the ropes by Rahul on the first bowl of his second over. In the 31st over, the Indian batters started to up the anti against as Iftikhar went for 10 of his first two deliveries. A single from the last ball accumulated 11 runs for India, bringing their score to 186 for the loss of two wickets.

30th over

50 partnership of 70 balls came up for the third wicket partnership of Rahul and Kohli in Shaheen’s sixth over. The pacer was slashed to the ropes by Rahul on the second delivery, India targetting Afridi. 8 runs of the 30th bring the Indian total to 175 for the loss of two wickets.

29th over

Iftikhar replaced Faheem in the 29th over. A tight over by the spinner and gave only 3 runs. Pakistan starting to pile pressure up on the Indian side. India now 167 for the loss of two wickets at the end of 29th over.

28th over

Naseem found the edge of Kohli’s bat on the third ball of the 28th over as the ball raced away to the boundary. Six runs from the over and a review wasted by Pakistan as Kohli tried to go down to fine leg on last ball of the over. Clear daylight between bat and bowl, India now 163 for the loss of two wickets.

27th over

Faheem replaced Shadab in the 27th over. Three dots and three singles ended a cheap over from Faheem. India now 155 for the loss of 2 wickets after the end of 27th over.

26th over

Naseem was brought back into play by the skippper after the 25th over. The pacer had given 23 runs in his five overs untill then as he bowled beautifully in his first spell yesterday. Two singles from the 26th over brought the Indian score to 152 for the loss of two wickets. Kohli and Rahul biding their time against accurate bowling from Pakistan first up.

25th over

In his three overs since Sharma’s wicket, the leggie has kept it really tight giving away only 9 runs. He started the 25th over as rain started to pour down after the first delivery. The players had to be sent in with the ground covered completely under covers. The play for suspended for the day. The game saw a delayed start on the next day with Shadab continuing his over from the dot ball with Virat facing. Three singles to complete another good over from Shadab brought the Indian score to 150 for the loss of two wickets at the half way mark.

India were 147/2 at the first ball of the 24th over when the play was paused. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul will resume their innings when the match starts.

But the rain threat still loomed on Monday. ESPNcricinfo shared a video of rainfall in the Sri Lankan capital shortly before the match was scheduled to begin, saying, “The Colombo skies have spoken.”

According to The Weather Channel’s forecast, there was an 87 per cent chance of thunderstorms at 2:30pm, with the match scheduled to start at 3pm local time (2:30pm PST).

The report also said that while storms would end by 4pm, more were “possible later”. It said that there was an 80pc chance of thunderstorms at 7:30pm.

A minimum of 20 overs is required to be bowled in the two innings to get a result. If today’s match is also washed out, then both the teams will take one point each, which will propel Pakistan to the top of the Super Four rankings after having won against Bangladesh. India are scheduled to play against Sri Lanka tomorrow (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, former cricketer Wasim Akram posted a video on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) talking about the weather in Colombo ahead of the match.

“Good morning. Rain has been taking place on and off throughout the night. But now it’s clear — not clear clear — but you can see the clouds and it’s breezy,” he said.

“The weather looks fine for now but let’s see what happens by the time the game starts,” he said.

“But you see, I know it’s frustrating for every one of us, even us guys sitting here but you can’t control the weather,” he said. “I suppose we can only pray and hope the weather gets better and I hope you enjoy good cricket”.

Separately, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a message on X, reminding fans that they could use their yesterday’s tickets for today.

Sunday’s match

Virat Kohli, on eight, and KL Rahul, on 17, were batting on Sunday when rain forced the players off and groundstaff worked tirelessly to try and restart the game after showers stopped.

After three inspections and fans helped to dry wet patches, the umpires looked like restarting play after over four hours of stoppage, but rain came to have the final say.

Skipper Rohit Sharma (56) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (58) gave India a blazing start in a stand of 121 off 100 balls to put Pakistan on the backfoot.

The batsmen took on the new-ball pair of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah with aerial shots in the powerplay when only two fielders are allowed outside the inner circle.

Both Shaheen and Naseem looked menacing in their first spell as the ball kept flying past the bat, and one edge from Gill went between two slips.

Rohit smashed leg-spinner Shadab Khan for two sixes and a four off successive balls in a 19-run over to raise the noise of the Indian fans at a largely empty stadium.

Shadab redeemed himself after the first drinks interval to send back Rohit caught out, and Shaheen returned to get Gill in the next over.

Scoring dipped as Kohli and Rahul looked to rebuild before rain intervened.