According to ReSources, a change has appeared in the schedule issued by the ICC in November. Now, whether Pakistan reaches the semi finals or not, if Sri Lanka cricket team qualifies for the semi finals, the first semi final will be held in Colombo instead of the Indian city of Kolkata.
Media reports say that if Sri Lanka reaches the semi final stage of the tournament, it may play its semi final on home ground under specific conditions. However, this situation will depend on other teams’ qualification and the opposing side.
If Sri Lanka faces a team other than India national cricket team and Pakistan national cricket team fails to reach the semi finals, then R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will host the match.
After the Super Eight lineup was finalized, the ICC shared details of semi final arrangements with stakeholders. According to the document, Semi Final 1 will have a floating arrangement and could be played either in Colombo or Kolkata.The document states that if Pakistan qualifies for the semi finals, it will play Semi Final 1 in Colombo on 4 March. If Pakistan does not qualify but Sri Lanka does and faces a team other than India, then Sri Lanka will play the first semi final in Colombo.
The ICC further clarified that if both Pakistan and Sri Lanka fail to reach the semi finals, the first semi final will be played in Kolkata and the second in Mumbai.If India reaches the semi finals, it will play in Mumbai regardless of the opponent. However, if India and Pakistan face each other, the match will be held in Colombo.
If none of India, Pakistan, or Sri Lanka qualify for the semi finals, then the top team from Super Eight Group 1 will face the runner up of Group 2 in Kolkata, while the winner of Group 2 will play the Group 1 runner up in Mumbai.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan are both part of Super Eight Group 2, so a semi final between them is not possible.Foreign media reports describe this development as a change or at least a clarification of the schedule released in November.
The earlier announcement had allowed the possibility of Pakistan playing its semi final and final in Sri Lanka, but it did not explain what would happen if Sri Lanka itself reached the knockout stage.
The statement had said that if Pakistan qualifies for the semi finals, Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium would replace Kolkata as host of Semi Final 1. If Pakistan reaches the final, the final venue would shift from Ahmedabad to Colombo.
It was also stated that if India and Pakistan meet in a semi final, the match will be played in Colombo, while if India plays against any other team, Semi Final 2 will be held in Mumbai.
