Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Friday (September 8), announced a reserve day for the upcoming India vs Pakistan clash in the Super 4 stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 tournament. The previous match between the arch-rivals was abandoned after rain didn't allow Pakistan to reply to India's total of 266 batting first.

India and Pakistan are scheduled to go head-to-head again at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, but the weather forecast for the match is dreadful to say the least, with plenty of rain predicted. Colombo has been battered with heavy rains in the past week and the next few days are expected to be not much different.

There were also reports of the remainder of the tournament being shifted to Hambantota, but that suggestion was eventually dismissed due to reluctance of the Indian and Pakistani players. In such a scenario, ACC decided to proceed with the matches as scheduled.

None of the Super 4 matches had been allotted a reserve day in the original schedule, but ACC announced a change to that as the high-octane clash between India and Pakistan will now have a reserve day on Monday, which stunned a lot of people, including the coach of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

READ ALSO: Sri Lanka, Bangladesh coach disappointed over ACC’s decision to have reserve day for Indo-Pak clash

This decision wasn't well received either by the fans and media, who questioned why none of the other matches carry the same importance and why should one match be treated differently to others.

Late on Friday evening, Sri Lanka Cricket and Bangladesh Cricket Board issued a statement on social media platform X, expressing their agreement with ACC's decision and that they had been consulted before the decision was taken.

As things now stand, apart from Sunday's encounter, the final which is scheduled for September 17, will also have a reserve day on the next day.