Rain has played a very crucial role in the ongoing 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup, especially in the Florida leg of the tournament, where all three matches scheduled so far have been abandoned due to rain. Team India and Canada were the latest victims as their final Group A match on Saturday at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill was washed out without a ball being bowled owing to a wet outfield. On Friday, Pakistan paid the cost after the game between the USA and Ireland incurred a similar fate at the venue as the 2009 champions were knocked out.
Despite the region being on flood alert for incessant rain through the week, Florida received no rainfall on Saturday morning, which raised hopes of a much-needed game time for India before the travel to the West Indies for the Super Eight round of the tournament. But a wet outfield owing to overnight rainfall led to the match being abandoned. There were two inspections by the match officials before the Group A game was called off.
Furious at three matches being cancelled in Florida, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at the ICC. While he urged the organisers to ensure a cover for the entire ground in case it is staging an ICC tournament, he also suggested the apex body not to give hosting rights to venues without the cover facility.
"My request to the ICC is to ensure there is cover for the entire ground if there is an ICC match. If the venue doesn't have the covers, don't give it to that venue. Give it to a ground that has got all covers," Gavaskar told Star Sports after India and Canada shared a point.
{{/usCountry}}"My request to the ICC is to ensure there is cover for the entire ground if there is an ICC match. If the venue doesn't have the covers, don't give it to that venue. Give it to a ground that has got all covers," Gavaskar told Star Sports after India and Canada shared a point.
{{/usCountry}}"It's something that the ICC needs to do. All the ground organisations have to have covers that cover the entire ground. This business of covering only the square everybody has got money now. You can't give the excuse that you don't have money for covers. However, good your ground drainage system is, you have covers, the grounds will dry faster. People will get to see some cricket. It's so important for that important. We saw all those guys come from Tampa, Texas. They have travelled long. Here in America, where do they get to see so many top-class players? Give them the opportunity. So get the covers for the entire ground. Everybody can do that," he added.
- ‘All the money in the game yet…’ -
Former England captain Michael Vaughan spoke much on the same lines after Jos Buttler's men were forced to wait for nearly three hours owing to rain in Antigua. England's qualification for the Super Eight round was on the line in the game against Namibia on Saturday.
He tweeted: “How we don’t have more covers to cover all the ground is beyond me .. all the money in the game yet we still get games called off for wet outfields !!!!”
England eventually secured a 41-run win by DLS method to stay alive in the race.