Asia Cup may get off to a wet start

The Asia Cup in Dhaka has got off to a truly damp start. Heavy rains have rendered the Bangabandhu Stadium completely unfit for play. Although the ground staff are working hard to minimise the damage, there is very little they can do. It is only well after lunch that the sun has begun to peep out of the clouds. If there is more sunshine, play might be possible with a delayed start.

All this, if there is no more rain. The outfield has soaked up so much moisture that is very difficult to stand in, let alone play cricket. Both the side present here, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, have been practising at an indoor facility that is just outside Dhaka. Spending an hour and half to get to practice is hardly what the players need on the eve of what should be a closely contested tournament.

All day there have been rumours floating around to the effect that the venue of the tournament might be shifted. A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official categorically denied the possibility of that happening. He said that the Asia Cup would go on as planned. Following the general norm, any match that is rained out will result in sharing of points.

What is possible however is a slight change in the schedule. Originally, hosts Bangladesh were to take on Sri Lanka in the cup opener on May 28. The next match was to be played on May 30. In order to give the groundstaff more time to prepare the ground, the start may be pushed to May 29. This will mean that the players will lose a rest day, but that is something that may be unavoidable.