Will Babar Azam's Pakistan Get Knocked Out If PAK Vs SL Match Gets Abandoned Due To Rain? Check Asia Cup 2023 Final Qualification Scenario Here

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Weather Update: What happens if PAK vs SL match is washed out. Which team will then go through to the final of Asia Cup 2023 to play India?

Babar Azam. (Source: AP)

Pakistan find themselves in a tough situation courtesy the loss to India in the Super 4 stage. That 228-run loss to the arch-rivals has pushed them to third spot in the Super 4s of Asia Cup 2023. The fact that they lost to India by such a huge margin has not done any good to their Net Run Rate (NRR). 

Babar Azam and Co should be happy that India beat Sri Lanka in the last match. Had they lost, Pakistan would have been required to beat Sri Lanka by a big margin on Thursday to qualify for the final. Now, they just need a win over the islanders. What has added spice to the whole mix is the weather in Colombo. The Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match of the Super 4s is also to be played at Colombo and the weather update is not heartening. 

Pakistan's NRR (-1.892) is lower than Sri Lanka (-0.200). That means if the match between them in Super 4 gets washed out, it will be Sri Lanka who will go through and not Pakistan. Sri Lanka had beaten Bangladesh in their first game of Super 4 and so did Pakistan. But it will be the NRR that eventually decides the second finalist in case it rains the whole day in Colombo on the day of the match.

__ Toss has been delayed due to wet outfield #PAKvSL | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/FQ7Krw8ipZ— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 14, 2023

It must be mentioned here that there is no reserve day kept for the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka match. Reserve day was earlier kept for just the final of the tournament. Looking at the weather in Colombo, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had then decided to keep a reserve day for the India vs Pakistan match in Super 4. The decision helped as the match was played across two days, on September 11 and 12. This helped India as they scripted a massive win and solidified their chances of qualification.

Had that game got washed out, it would have put Sri Lanka's in trouble as far as the race for the final is concerned because the hosts lost the next match to India. And had India lost to Pakistan, they too would have been in the same place where Pakistan happen to find themselves. Pakistan will hope and pray that the match vs Sri Lanka happens and they beat the defending champions to set up a mouth-watering final against India. Not to forget, India have never met Pakistan in the Asia Cup final before.