The USA vs Ireland match was called off on Friday which meant last edition’s runners up Pakistan were officially knocked out of this year’s T20 world Cup.
With no match possible between USA and Ireland due to wet outfield and then rain, both teams shared one point each which took the co-hosts to 5 points and into the Super 8s. Even if Pakistan win their match against Ireland on Sunday, they can reach a maximum of 4 points.
In order to qualify, Pakistan needed the match between USA and Ireland to happen with Irish taking the win. That would then open the door for Pakistan to beat Ireland and scrape through to the next round. But ultimately, the weather played spoiler and Babar Azam’s team were knocked out.
USA, meanwhile, created history by becoming the first team to qualify for the Super Eight stage in its maiden appearance.
Earlier, the chances for a match looked bleak as the state of Florida, where Lauderhill is situated, had been hit by a tropical thunderstorm, leading to incessant rain and flash flooding.
The only game of the tournament that was supposed to be held at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground – between Sri Lanka and Nepal – was abandoned on Tuesday evening without a ball being bowled. That contributed to the islanders’ ouster from Super Eight contention.
According to the US National Weather Service (NWS), a “flood watch” had remained in effect for all of southern Florida through Friday evening. That had already made the USA-Ireland game highly improbable, as all remaining matches at the venue are day games, scheduled to start at 10.30 am local time.
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First uploaded on: 14-06-2024 at 23:06 IST