Rain delays start of Asia Cup final

Heavy rain has delayed the start of the Asia Cup final between India and Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here by more than an hour.

With thunderstorms and strong winds lashing the outfield, the match officials have decided to take a call at 8.13 p. m. local time. The toss, was originally scheduled for 7 p. m.

Since no reserve day has been fixed for the final, the much anticipated clash between the two neighbours may be a shortened one.

The stadium, which was packed to capacity, was plunged into complete darkness for a short while after the organisers decided to switch off the floodlights as a precautionary measure due to the regular flashes of thunder and lightning.

The storm displaced some of the advertisement boards from the roof of the stadium as the groundsmen struggled to keep the covers on. The heavy rain has also created several puddles in the outfield.