Not rain, but floodlight failure in Lahore stops PAK vs BAN in Asia Cup

Pakistan vs Bangladesh Asia Cup game was interrupted due to a floodlight failure at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore

All of a sudden, the TV seemed a little bit dim and players were walking off the field, a little after the second inning started. And then the camera panned towards the floodlight and some of them were not working at all. 

This was the first such instance in the fourth game in Pakistan and the third Asia Cup match in Lahore. The exact reason for the malfunction wasn't known but the match had to be halted for a good 20-minute period with Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman having a chat with the umpires.

People on X (formerly Twitter) used this scenario to try and justify the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) statements released on September 06, 2023. 

Also Read: Asia Cup: Jay Shah explains why Sri Lanka was chosen as venue and not UAE

 

In the statement, Jay Shah, ACC President had cited Pakistan’s economic situation as one of the reasons for not hosting the tournament in its entirety there. 

#AsiaCup2023

Floodlights went off at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore for 30 mins during Pakistan's innings.

At first I thought it's a joke. But no... this actually happened.

For all the talk about BCCI not wanting to play in Pak, this happens?

You can't escape rain. But what about…

— KSR (@KShriniwasRao) September 6, 2023

In the match, Pakistan are in a strong position having bowled out Bangladesh for a paltry 193 under 40 overs. At the time of writing this, the Men in Green were 42/1 in 11 overs. 

This being the first game of the Super Four is also the last match of the Asia Cup 2023 that is scheduled to take place in Pakistan. Rest all of the matches would be played in Sri Lanka where rain has run havoc, causing a derailment in all three matches of the tournament that have been played there so far. The tournament is being hosted jointly by Pakistan and Sri Lanka for the first time.