“Will not be surprised if for World Cup, they have a separate rule for Indo-Pak game” - Arjuna Ranatunga slams ICC

Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga has lashed out at the International Cricket Council (ICC) and has described it as a “toothless tiger”, which acts very unprofessionally.

Ranatunga’s comments came in the wake of the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) decision to add a reserve day specifically for the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super 4 match. Ahead of the tournament, only the final had a reserve day, but the modification was made keeping the fickle Colombo weather in mind.

Taking a dig at ICC, the 1996 World Cup-winning captain said that he wouldn’t be surprised if the ICC had a separate rule for the India vs Pakistan match during the World Cup.

"ICC is a toothless tiger. They act very unprofessionally. I think they are the ones who should protect cricket. Ultimately cricket should be controlled by ICC and not by a country. In Asia Cup, you had rules and you changed rules for one game. So where is ACC? Where is ICC?," Ranatunga was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

"So I will not be surprised if for World Cup, they have a separate rule for Indo-Pak game. This is bad. India is powerful, no doubt, but then ICC officials are quite comfortable, happy putting coat and tie and hanky and going to meetings," he went on to add in a sarcastic tone.

The reserve day during the India-Pakistan Asia Cup match came into play as only 24.1 overs were possible on the scheduled day of play. India went on to hammer Pakistan by 228 runs on the reserve day.

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“Why did they play in Colombo when you have places like Hambantota?” - Ranatunga on Asia Cup schedule

In the PTI report, Ranatunga also hit out at the ACC for organizing Asia Cup matches in Colombo where rain was predicted. According to him, the games could have been held in Hambantota as the ground was built to play cricket during the rainy season.

"Why did they play in Colombo when you have places like Hambantota? That ground was built to play cricket during the rainy season.. Why do the other countries allow that (poor scheduling) to happen?... Because the BCCI is powerful, or one particular person is powerful. No, it can't happen like that,” the 59-year-old concluded.

Meanwhile, India will take on Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup 2023 final in Colombo on Sunday, September 17.