COLOMBO: Rain has halted play in the highly-anticipated Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2023 between Pakistan and India in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo on Sunday.
At the time of the rain interruption, India had scored 147 for the loss of 2 wickets in 24.1 overs after being invited to bat first. Indian captain Virat Kohli, batting at eight runs, and the returning KL Rahul, who had compiled 17 runs, were at the crease when the rain disrupted play. The showers quickly intensified, making the resumption of the match uncertain.
Earlier in the game, skipper Rohit Sharma had contributed 56 runs, while Shubman Gill notched up an impressive 58 runs. The two openers had formed a formidable partnership, amassing 121 runs for the opening wicket. However, their partnership was eventually broken by leg-spinner Shadab Khan and left-arm quick Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In an effort to mitigate potential disruptions due to adverse weather conditions, organizers had inserted a last-minute reserve day for this match, making it the sole game in the Super Fours to benefit from this provision. This decision came after the previous group stage encounter between India and Pakistan was washed out due to rain in Pallekele.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl against arch-rivals India. Currently leading the points table, Pakistan’s Men in Green are determined to continue their outstanding form in the Asia Cup after defeating Bangladesh by seven wickets in their first Super Four match.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, speaking at the toss, said, “We will bowl first. I think there is a little moisture, we need to use this moisture. Always, India-Pakistan is high intensity, but we will take it match to match. As a team, we are playing well, we are focused on this one.”
On the other hand, India is playing their inaugural Super 4 stage match, and skipper Rohit Sharma expressed his preference, saying, “Looking to bat first. There will be a challenge upfront, but the way we guys batted last time around gives us confidence. Every game is important for us, but one thing at a time to focus on.”
The group stage match between India and Pakistan on September 2 was abandoned due to rain in Pallekele. This match holds immense significance, as even a single loss in the Super 4s can push a team into “must-win territory.” With in-form Sri Lanka set to face both India and Pakistan next week, the two points at stake today are in high demand. There’s also a slim possibility that this fixture might be the last India vs. Pakistan encounter in the 2023 Asia Cup, as Sri Lanka emerges as a strong contender for the finals. History reminds us that India and Pakistan have never faced off in an Asia Cup final.
Pakistan Playing XI
Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
India Playing XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
![NEW YORK: Pakistan's former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leading Pakistan’s high-level parliamentary delegation, on Tuesday warned that India's aggressive actions pose a serious threat to peace in South Asia and urged the international community to take note of India's aggressive conduct. Bilawal was addressing a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York on recent regional developments after the military conflict between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani delegation is in New York to present Pakistan’s stance on the military escalation with India and to challenge New Delhi’s narrative at the global level. The visit is part of Pakistan’s sustained diplomatic outreach to brief key UN stakeholders on the alarming regional situation. The Pakistani delegation is also scheduled to arrive in Washington today, where it plans to engage with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, other senior officials, lawmakers, and think tanks till June 6. The team will also visit London and Brussels. Speaking at the press conference, Bilawal said that he wanted to use the opportunity to share Pakistan’s perspective on the recent military conflict with India in the wake of the Pahalgam attack and the way forward. Bilawal said that the “illegal strikes” launched by India as part of its ‘Operation Sindoor’ were “in violation of the UN Charter, international law”. He said the attacks had targeted civilian infrastructure, places of worship, energy infrastructure and innocent women and children. He said India had used the April 22 terrorist attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s (IIOJK) Pahalgam as a pretext to launch the attack inside Pakistan. Following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif offered publicly to India that Pakistan was ready to be part of any impartial international investigation into this attack. “We did so because we were confident, our hands were clean and we had nothing to do with this terrorist attack. “We expressed our sympathy with the victims of terrorism and Pakistan has consistently and unequivocally condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, adding that PM Sharif had immediately expressed Pakistan’s willingness to India and the global community to be part of any impartial international investigation. “Indian government refused Pakistan's offer and chose instead to conduct their illegal strikes. Pakistan only then acted in self-defence, we never initiated any violence against India,” Bilawal said. Bilawal emphasised that Pakistan never initiated hostilities against India but responded to Indian aggression by downing six Indian fighter jets. "The Pakistani military had responded with precision the night of the first Indian attack and only targeted and downed six planes because we believed those were the ones to release their load on Pakistan”. He stated that US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a vital role in achieving a ceasefire during heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours. “We’ve seen during the course of this conflict how quickly the escalation ladder between our two countries rose and the concern is that the next time there is such an incident, there may not be time for the international community to intervene before things get a lot worse. That is why it is absolutely important for Pakistan and the international community to continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy as the only viable path to peace.” He said Pakistan’s position was to hold a “comprehensive dialogue” with India that would include the issue of terrorism as well. The head of the Pakistani delegation said that no civilized nation can support the use of water as a weapon and urged the international community to play its part, questioning, "What would be the global reaction if someone’s lifeline was cut off?" He stressed that Pakistan has paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and has suffered the most. “The single largest number of terrorist attacks that take place in any one country is Pakistan. The single largest number of victims of terrorism is Pakistan. I myself have suffered at the hands of terrorists. My mother [Benazir Bhutto] was assassinated by the terrorists.” Bilawal also criticised India for targeting water reservoirs and civilian areas, including mosques, during its attacks. Calling negotiations the only path to peace, Bilawal reiterated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute remains the root cause of regional instability. He urged the global community to take notice of India’s aggressive conduct.](https://wenewsenglish.com/storage/2025/06/Bilawal-Bhutto-Zardari-300x180.jpg)
