Who will play against India in Asia Cup 2023 final if PAK vs SL is washed out?

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will lock horns on 14 September at R. Premadasa stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka in a decider match at the super four stage of the Asia Cup 2023, for the ultimate qualification for the final game. India has already qualified for the finals after beating Sri Lanka on 12 September in the super four. 

Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s encounter has already been delayed due to heavy rains and the teams have not even started the toss. After 16:30 the game will start losing overs, and in order to decide a winner, a 20 over game between both the sides is compulsory. However, the final conclusion resides in a draw which will award both the teams with one point each. 

If the match is washed away due to heavy rains, Sri Lanka will automatically qualify for the finals game, considering the higher NRR than Pakistan. Currently, both Sri Lanka and Pakistan have two points each after winning (both against Bangladesh) and losing one game (both against India).  Sri Lanka has a net run rate of -0.200 while Pakistan has a net run rate of -1.892.

India vs Sri Lanka decider match summary

The Indian team got dismissed for 213 runs by the Sri Lanka’s lethal spin-bowling attack which suited the pitch exceedingly well by the end of 49.1 overs. The young Sri Lankan bowlers Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka took a five wicket and four wicket haul, respectively, to send the Indian batters back to the dug out. Rohit Sharma became the highest scorer for India. He scored 53 runs off 48 deliveries with a strike rate of 110.42. 

Notably, India and Sri Lanka are the most successful teams in the continental tournament, with 7 and 6 Asia Cup titles to their name, respectively. To qualify for the final game of the Asia Cup, the Indian Team had to bowl out Sri Lanka within 212 runs. The Indian Team dismissed Sri Lanka for 173 runs at the end of 41.3 overs and won the match by 41 runs while defending an extremely low target.