Crazy cricket fans in Pakistan have to wait till Monday to celebrate the return of international cricket in the country after a decade as rain plays spoilsport in Karachi that led abandoning the opening match of three ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka without a ball bowled. The decision to call off the game was taken after torrential rain in the city.
The PCB in order to avoid further disturbance in rest of the matches due to existing monsoon spell, expected to remain active till Tuesday, rescheduled the second ODI between two teams from Sunday, September 29 to Monday, September 30.
PCB stated that the decision regarding match rescheduling has been made mutually by the two boards to allow the ground-staff to prepare the National Stadium outfield for next week's play.
PCB Director - International Cricket, Zakir Khan: "This week's unseasonal heavy rains have forced us to review the series schedule. I am thankful to Sri Lanka Cricket as well as our host broadcasters for agreeing to amend the match schedule to ensure there are no further abandonment due to rain in what is an important bilateral FTP series for Pakistan."
This week's heavy rains, including on Friday afternoon, has left the outfield soggy, with the grounds-men requiring, at least, two complete days to make the ground fit for cricket.
Although the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) strived to stage the opening match even if it had to cut down on a few overs, the rain that started at around 1:20pm local time, turned into heavy rainfall with thunderstorm later in the day.
Consequently, the pitch condition made it herculean task for the ground staff to prepare the outfield and give go-ahead to the match officials. The stadium had puddles at a variety of places, whereas the area near the boundary line was almost completely submerged. It is the first time when an ODI match has been abandoned at the National Stadium due to rain without a ball being bowled.
The PCB has also announced tickets sold for Friday, 27 September, will be valid for either 30 September or 2 October ODI, while tickets sold for Sunday, 29 September, match may also be used for either 30 September or 2 October ODI. As per the PCB ticketing policy for the series, the PCB will also allow refund of all tickets for Friday's match.
It has also been agreed that ticket-holders of Sunday's match unable to attend Monday's match will also get full refunds. Tickets for Monday's rescheduled second ODI will also be available online and on the dedicated TCS counters.
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