'Aur inhe Asia Cup host karna hai': PAK vs BAN stopped due floodlight failure in Lahore, leads to long stoppage

Sports 07-Sep-2023

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The first of the Super Four matches of the 2023 edition of Asia Cup - Pakistan vs Bangladesh, the only one of the six such matches held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, witnessed a delay for a bizarre reason on Wednesday evening.

Just five overs after Pakistan started their run chase of 194, the match was halted by the on-field umpires as one of the floodlights had stopped functioning leaving Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) red-faced.

The delay occurred as one tower at one of the most famous cricket grounds in the world malfunctioned causing a long delay in the Pakistan vs Bangladesh clash. Play was stopped for almost 20 minutes in the first Super Four stage of the competition. The incident left fans furious, and many questioned how something like that was allowed to happen.

The incident was not a good look for Pakistan, as this is the first multi-nation tournament they have hosted in 15 years. This is the last game of the competition in Pakistan, with the competition being played in a hybrid model. The remaining five Super Four games and the final will take place in Sri Lanka.

- Less Crowd
- Floodlight failure
- No digital board
- Poor facilities

Aur unko Asia cup aur Champions trophy host karna hai#AsiaCup2023 #PAKvBNG pic.twitter.com/Ozx2L94egy
— Ash (@Ashsay_) September 6, 2023

Match stopped in Lahore due to floodlight failure. Waiting for Pakistani cricket experts to blame Jay Shah for this .#PAKvBAN pic.twitter.com/zSpYMvit7o
— Sir BoiesX 🕯 (@BoiesX45) September 6, 2023

The play stopped due to floodlight failure in Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan during the Asia Cup Super-4 match between Bangladesh & Pakistan.🤣
Yet shameless Pakistanis wanted to host the entire Asia Cup😆.#AsiaCup2023 #AsiaCup #Lahore #Pakistan #PakistanDefeatDay #Cricket pic.twitter.com/m8ylAVEqDB
— 🇮🇳 DEBJIT 🇮🇳 (@debdutta92) September 6, 2023

Play has been stopped in Lahore due to floodlights failure.
Fans have switched on their flashlight🔥#AsiaCup2023 #AsiaCup #PakvsBan pic.twitter.com/aw7yWmT8Jg
— Akshat Goyal (@AkshatG63316497) September 6, 2023

2015 PAK-ZIM series
2020 PSL
2023 PSL
2023 Asia Cup

All of them had a match interrupted due to floodlight failure at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.#AsiaCup #PAKvBAN pic.twitter.com/X1ONytONg9
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) September 6, 2023

The hosting rights of the tournament have been a cause of major controversy ever since the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declared that India would not travel to Pakistan for the event. Earlier, a neutral venue was suggested, but Pakistan insisted on hosting some part of the tournament.

Ultimately, a compromise was reached, as Pakistan was allowed to host four games while the other nine will take place in Sri Lanka. India is the only country playing all its matches in one country, while all five other teams have made to-and-fro trips between the host nations.

The hosting saga has resurfaced in the last few days, with rain playing major spoilsport towards the Sri Lanka leg of the tournament and the India-Pakistan group stage game being washed out in Kandy. The Super 4 stage and the final of the tournament are set to take place in Colombo, where the weather forecast is very grim.

Pakistan Bangladesh Asia Cup Asia Cup 2023 PAK vs BAN