Asia Cup 2023: Colombo matches may be shifted to THIS stadium, here's why

Asia Cup 2023: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) may change the venue for six matches including the final from Colombo, India Today's Sports Tak reported on Sunday. As per the original schedule, super-4 stage all five games and the final are to be held at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. 

However, the capital city of Sri Lanka has been receiving heavy to extremely heavy rainfall due to which matches scheduled to be held here can be shifted to either Kandy's Pallekele International Cricket Stadium or Dambulla's Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. Interestingly, the weather is also not favourable in Kandy, where India's first clash with Pakistan was washed out due to continuous rain on Saturday. 

In Colombo, matches are scheduled for September 9, 10, 12, 14, and 15, and the final on 17. The city is predicted to receive thunderstorms and rainfall during the next week. While Kandy is forecast to witness some rain, the situation here is comparatively better than in Colombo. 

The ACC is yet to announce its decision which may be taken in a day or two. As per the existing schedule, Colombo is slated to host its first match of the ongoing Asia Cup on September 9. This time, the Asia Cup games are being hosted by Sri Lanka and Pakistan.  

Sri Lanka's central weather forecasting agency on Sunday said that showers or thundershowers will occur at times in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Central, and North-western provinces. "Fairly heavy showers above 50mm are likely at some places in Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle, Matara and Nuwara-eliya districts."

Fairly strong winds of about (40-45) kmph can be expected at times in the western slopes of the central hills, Western, North-western, Northern, and North-central provinces, it said.