Asia Cup 2023: Heavy rains could force venue shift as Colombo games in serious doubt

Heavy rainfall in the city of Colombo could reportedly see the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) make a last-minute change to the Asia Cup schedule. Pallekele is scheduled to host all group games in Asia Cup 2023 but, as per the original schedule, the latter half of the competition — all but two Super Four matches — is set to be played exclusively at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

However, according to both Indian Express and ESPN Cricinfo, the ACC are deliberating a late venue change due to incessant rains in Colombo. Asia Cup 2023 has already witnessed one encounter (India-Pakistan) get washed out, while the rain threat also looms large over the India-Nepal fixture on Monday (September 4).

Click here to view the full Asia Cup 2023 schedule

Simply moving games out of Colombo, however, is apparently not an easy solution as there are reportedly multiple logistical challenges involved. Dambulla is an alternative but there are floodlight issues associated with the stadium; there has not been a single international day-night match played in Dambulla in the last decade. 

Hambantota is another alternative but, according to ESPN Cricinfo, the remote locality of the stadium would make shifting games to Hambantota a logistical nightmare. 

The ACC are expected to take a final call inside the next 48 hours.