Weather had the final say as the crucial Group A match of the T20 World Cup between USA and Ireland was called off due to wet outfield and rain in Florida on Friday.
The match was unlikely to go ahead as a tropical disturbance had resulted in floods across the state of Florida. Lauderhill, where the stadium is situated, also received heavy downpour during the week. And even though the rain eased for 36 hours leading up to the match, the damage had been done as the outfield remained wet, rendering it unfit for play.
Despite a relatively clear morning, no play was possible on Friday. The umpires held two sets of inspection as the game was pushed back as far as possible in order to accommodate a five-overs-a-side contest. But later in the day, the rain came back to end any hopes of a match.
USA and Ireland both shared a point each. As a result, co-hosts USA qualified for the Super Eight stage with five points after four games along with India, who won three out of three games.
Babar Azam’s Pakistan, therefore, were knocked out of the tournament well before their final group game against Ireland on Sunday.
Pakistan had their backs to the wall with two points after three games, which included a morale crushing Super Over defeat to USA and six-run loss to India in New York.
They needed a lot of results to go their way, which included Ireland defeating USA on Friday and them defeating the Irish on Sunday.
A washout was the last thing that they needed. Pakistan can now only reach a maximum of four points, pushing them out of the race.
Pakistan join New Zealand on the way out of the tournament. The Black Caps were knocked out of the showpiece event with two matches remaining in their Group C. Defeats to Afghanistan and hosts West Indies all but ended their hopes of progressing to the next round and after both the Afghans and Windies completed three wins each, Kane Williamson’s team were eliminated from the race.
USA’s qualification to the Super Eight stage carries huge significance. Not only have they shown that Associate nations can pose a serious threat in T20 tournaments, they also ensured their participation in the next T20 World Cup in 2026.
The path ahead for Pakistan, on the other hand, seems uncertain. A series of changes to the team management, structure and board has not helped as the team in green have slipped further after showing some signs of revival in the ODI World Cup last year. Azam vacated his position as the all-format captain after Pakistan failed to make the semi-finals, with Shaheen Afridi made the T20 leader.
But ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup, there was another change of leadership in the Pakistan board and Azam returned as captain.
Updated: June 14, 2024, 5:39 PM