No play was possible in the USA v Ireland match, sending Pakistan packing from the tournament

Pakistan cannot progress to the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup after the match between USA and Ireland was washed out without a ball bowled in Florida on Friday.

Pakistan needed Ireland to defeat USA in order to have any chance of staying alive in the tournament, but the heavy storms that have been battering the south-eastern state in recent days continued through Friday morning.

Blowers and vacuums were used on the ground during a break in the rain in a desperate attempt to get the field into a safe playing condition, but showers and lightning soon followed, prompting the umpires to call it off. 

Both sides were awarded one point for the shared result, enough to send USA to five points and into the Super Eight stage. 

Although the third and fourth placed Pakistan and Canada have one match in hand on the Americans, the USA can’t be knocked out of second spot. 

Pakistan won the title in 2009 and reached two more finals, including at the MCG in the last T20 World Cup in 2022. Ireland was also expected to be a threat, also reaching the second round on debut in 2009 and in Australia in 2022.

The point from the washout in its last Group A game was enough for the USA to advance, after beating Canada and stunning Pakistan in Dallas in the first week.

Their defeat of Pakistan in a Super Over was one of the greatest upsets in the tournament’s history.

The 17th-ranked USA joined the West Indies, India, Australia, South Africa and Afghanistan in the Super Eight, with two more teams yet to qualify. The Super Eight splits into two groups, with each team guaranteed three games to try and reach the semi-finals.

It’s the second match in a row that has been abandoned without a ball bowled in Lauderhill, Florida, following the Sri Lanka v Nepal washout on June 11. 

With more rain predicted it could be a similar fate for the two remaining matches at the venue. 

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