The United States has advanced to the Super 8s of the T20 Cricket World Cup, thanks to some help from Mother Nature.
Officials called off Friday’s match between the U.S. and Ireland in Lauderhill, Fla. due to an unplayable pitch following multiple delays and finally, a thunderstorm. That decision means the Americans earned a valuable point and will advance out of Group A on 5 points.
Severe storms battered South Florida this week causing a state of emergency to be declared after over two feet of rain across Broward, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Sarasota counties.
The result also knocks Pakistan out of the competition. Pakistan needed a U.S. loss coupled with a victory over Ireland in their final match on Sunday in order to have a shot to move on.
The U.S. will now face South Africa (June 19, North Sound, Antigua), West Indies (June 21, Bridgetown, Barbados) and Scotland or England (June 23, Bridgetown, Barbados) in the Second Round. The top two teams from that group will advance to semifinals.
It has already been an historic first World Cup for the U.S., having won two games, including a massive upset over Pakistan last week. Despite the loss to group leader India on Wednesday, the Americans were helped by the struggles of Pakistan, Canada and Ireland.
By advancing to the Super 8s, this guarantees the U.S. will qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
Group A Standings
*India 3-0 (6 points)
*USA 2-1-1 (5 pts.)
Pakistan 1-2 (2 pts.)
Canada 1-2 (2 pts.)
Ireland 0-3 (0 pts.)
*qualified for Super 8s