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'Politics Over Sport': Najam Sethi's Verbal Attack on ACC After India-Pakistan Rainy Showdown

image-lm38c91oNajam Sethi expressed his unhappiness following the Ind vs Pak clash that was marred by rain (Twitter)

People all over the world were left disheartened as the India vs. Pakistan match in the Asia Cup 2023 was called off due to rain on Saturday, September 2. The match, held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Pallekele, witnessed two interruptions during India's innings. Consequently, Pakistan couldn't commence their innings due to adverse weather conditions. As a result, the Group A fixture was abandoned, and both teams were awarded points.

Following this disappointing outcome of the highly anticipated match, former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi, strongly criticized the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for disregarding his request to host the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

Sethi further argued that feeble justifications, such as concerns about excessive heat in Dubai, were used as reasons to relocate the tournament to Sri Lanka.


Here's what he said

“How disappointing! Rain mars the greatest contest in cricket. But this was forecast. As PCB Chair, I urged the ACC to play in UAE but poor excuses were made to accommodate Sri Lanka. Too hot in Dubai, they said. But it was as hot when the Asia Cup was played there last time in Sep 2022 or when IPL was played there in April 2014 and Sep 2020. Politics over sport. Unforgivable!.”


It's worth mentioning that the Asia Cup 2022 and the IPL were both conducted in the T20 format in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Most of the matches were scheduled in the evening and played under floodlights to protect the players from the intense daytime heat.

In India's batting innings, they chose to bat first but faced significant challenges from Pakistan's formidable seamers who exploited overcast conditions. Shaheen Afridi was the standout performer with impressive figures of 4/35, while Haris Rauf chipped in with 3/58 in his 9 overs. India found themselves in a precarious position at 66/4 during one phase of the innings. 

However, a remarkable partnership of 138 runs between Ishan Kishan, who scored 82 off 81 balls, and Hardik Pandya, who contributed 87 runs off 90 balls, steadied the ship, allowing India to post a total of 266 runs in 48.5 overs. Unfortunately, continuous rain prevented any further play, leading to the game's abandonment.

Looking ahead to India's next match against Nepal, weather reports suggest that rain might once again disrupt the proceedings, posing a potential challenge for both teams.