Heavy rain forces venue change after first half

The round-robin fixture of the SAFF U-20 Women's Championship between Bangladesh and Bhutan at the Bashundhara Kings Arena was halted after heavy rain left the pitch unplayable on Tuesday.

Bangladesh, the table-toppers, were leading the game 1-0, thanks to a seventh-minute strike from Shanti Mardi, who beat the opposition keeper with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box on a rebound.

There were chances at both ends despite the unplayable condition due to heavy thunder-shower since the start of the game.

Groundstaff at work at the Bashundhara Kings Arena. Photo: Firoz Ahmed

By half-time, the rain had relented but puddles, especially in front of goals, had reduced the pitch to unplayable conditions.

Groundstaff were hard at work, trying to remove water from the pitch.

The first half had ended at around 3:50pm, and even one-and-a-half-hour later, there was no confirmation from the match commissioner whether the match will resume. Later, it was decided that the second half of the match would resume at 6:45pm at the practice venue of Bashundhara Kings Arena which is made up of artificial turf.

Bangladesh coach Peter Butler had opted for an almost entirely new starting XI, only keeping Shanti and Bonna Akter from the game versus Nepal two days ago.

Following that match on Monday, the Englishman had said that results in this tournament were less significant to him, the exposure and experience for young players was what he looked for.

Nepal and Sri Lanka are scheduled to play in the second match of the day, kicking off at 7:00pm.