Venkatesh Prasad criticizes the ACC for its “absolute shamelessness” about the India-Pakistan reserve day.

When news broke that a reserve day would be used if the India-Pakistan Super Four game were to be postponed on the designated day, former India bowler Venkatesh Prasad slammed the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Notably, the two bitter rivals will square off in the Super Four round on Sunday, September 10, at Colombo’s R Premadasa Stadium.

Similar to the first meeting, weather forecasts indicate a good chance of precipitation at the venue on Sunday, which is likely to halt the flow of the intense competition between the two sides. In light of this, the ACC made the decision to hold talks with the boards of the competing teams in order to set aside a reserve day for the India-Pakistan match.

One former cricket player, Venkatesh Prasad, did not agree with the ACC’s unilateral decision, however, and he launched a sting attack on the choice to have a reserve day in place for only two teams, calling it “unethical.”

If accurate, this is the height of shamelessness. It is unethical to hold a tournament where the regulations are different for the other two teams, and the organizers have made a mockery of the event. May it rain more heavily on the second day and prevent these nefarious schemes from succeeding in the name of justice,” Venkatesh Prasad said on his ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) account.

The four teams competing in the Super Four stage announced that the game would have a reserve day, which would be on Monday, September 11, due to the match’s high stakes and the weather. This comes after the group-stage match between the two rivals was called off in Kandy, and the match between India and Nepal was briefly postponed owing to rain.

Regarding the Asia Cup Super Fours, Pakistan enters the following match after defeating Bangladesh by a score of seven wickets in the opening match. On the other hand, India’s campaign will begin in this round against their archrivals before games against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka on September 12 and 14, respectively.