Asia Cup 2023: 'Baarish ne bacha liya humein' Shoaib Akhtar admits after rain spoils play

India vs Pakistan was stopped mid-way into the first innings in the Asia Cup on Sunday. India were cruising along at 147/2 after a 121-run stand between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill before heavens opened up. Rain, which arrived at 5 PM local time, didn’t allow play to resume despite repeated looks and inspections by the match officials. Expecting such a scenario, the match was afforded a reserve day of Monday. Former Pakistan seamer Shoaib Akhtar admitted they got lucky, just the way India got lucky in the group stage. “Well. I don’t see this starting again. Colombo ki baarish is crazy," Akhtar wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “Hey guys, it’s me Shoaib, match dekhne aaya tha, hum sare fans bhi wait kar rahe hai, Indians bhi Pakistani bhi. Lekin barish ne bacha liya humein, finally! Pehle India phass gya tha humare aagey, barish ne bacha lia. Aaj hum phas gaye the India ke samne, shukr hai barish ne bach lia. (I came to watch the match, we are all waiting, Indian and Pakistani fans. Rain saved us, rain saved India the other day, but today rain saved us!)," Akhtar was heard saying in the video that has gone viral on social media. “We will be able to resume this game tomorrow at the same position, and by making a wise decision, not to bowl first,” he added.

As per the rules of the reserve day in the Asia Cup, the match remains a 50-over contest and a minimum of 20 overs need to be played for a result. Virat Kohli and KL Rahul occupied the crease when play was stopped.