A tropical disturbance has caused flash flooding in Florida which could see all the matches slated to be played here getting washed out. If you are new to this sport, a washout means both teams get one point each. One point is exactly what the USA team needs to get on the train to Super 8s. Never have we ever seen a team exploiting home advantages like this. The USA reaching the next round means Pakistan would be out of the race and their game against Ireland on Sunday would potentially be a dead rubber. This would be the first time the men in green would exit the mega-event without making it to at least the second round. But that’s not for the USA team to worry about. They have done their job quite well and even if we somehow get to have a truncated game, the odds of Ireland defeating them are very slim.
Mathematically, Ireland also have a chance to make it to the Super 8s. And to quell those itty-bitty chances entirely a washout or a defeat is needed. Being the only team in Group A with 0 wins, their best chance at getting any points is to hope for rain to interfere. But that wretched one point would come at the expense of their survival (as well as the survival of another green uniformed team in their group).
Team Overview:
Little did Saurabh Netravalkar know that staying out of the office till 17th June would not be enough for his team’s World Cup campaign. The part-time World Cuppers have shown that there is no concept of minnows in this dynamic and mercurial format. The T20I format bows to the one who possesses enough grit to play fearlessly. Calling their win against Pakistan an upset is sheer disrespect to the way the team has played cricket so far. They were united, they were disciplined and most importantly they were sharp enough to see the holes the men in green tried so hard to cover. Even against India, where the hosts eventually lost by 7 wickets, they never counted themselves out of the contest, and mind you they played the game without their usual Skipper. Even that could not dampen their ambitions.
It wont be an exaggeration to say that the Irish team was the biggest letdown this edition. The team was no fluke when they beat England during the T20 World Cup 2022 and keeping in mind how they played against Pakistan just a week before the World Cup started, the cricket World expected them to do better. With rain threatening to ruin their next two games, the Ireland team will most probably end their campaign without any win. The onus of this shambolic cricketing display lies mostly on the openers of the team, Andy Balbirnie and Paul Stirling, whose experience had pinned high hopes on them. The bowlers were the saviours of the Irish team both with the ball and bat. But there is so much late-order incomers can do to save the face of a team whose top and middle-order crumbles like a house of cards every time.
Head-to-Head Matches:
The USA and Ireland teams have played two T20 International games so far, with both teams getting over the line once. Interestingly, both of these also took place at Lauderhill.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Weather websites should be the most visited pages by cricket fans these days. Florida is receiving heavy rainfall, with flash floods throughout the state. There is an 80% chance of rain crashing the party during this contest too.
Lauderhill is known for its batting-friendly decks. This means if the weather permits, a run-fest can be expected. Besides batters, pacers will find assistance off the pitch too. But all of that will only matter if the rain decides to give a reprieve to the teams.
Prediction:
If we somehow get a few overs to constitute at least a truncated game, the USA would be the favorites to clinch the victory from the Irish owing to their sky-high morale.
Where to Watch:
You can watch the games on the following platforms as per your region:
- India – Star Sports
- Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming) and Tamasha app (Live streaming)
- USA and Canada – Willow TV
- England – Sky Sports Network
- Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
- New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
- Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
