Rain-Free Day in Miami Leads to T20 World Cup Matches Abandonment: Safety Concerns and Player Disappointment
The International Cricket Council said the match could not have been possible considering the concerns over player safety. The ICC places utmost importance on player safety, emphasized an ICC official. While we strive for matches to proceed, player well-being is our top priority. Umpires deemed the conditions too risky, especially since the game had no bearing on the tournament outcome.
The main issue was wet patches on the field. According to match officials, there was water beneath certain areas, potentially posing a risk of players sustaining ankle injuries or twisted knees just before the crucial Super 8s stage. If the ground had been covered, as is a common practice in Sri Lanka and many venues in India, the match might have gone ahead. However, cricket infrastructure in the US is very primordial.
Complicating matters was the unusually high volume of rain at this time of year in Florida. The locals mention that July typically sees more rain than June, but this year, the monsoon has arrived early. Florida received almost a month's worth of rain in just one day a few days ago, making it challenging to dry the ground.
As a result, all three matches scheduled in Miami so far - Sri Lanka versus Nepal, USA versus Ireland, and India versus Canada - have been abandoned. The match scheduled for Sunday between Pakistan and Ireland also hangs in uncertainty. Sad but true, the Miami leg of the T20 World Cup is a washout.
Was India not keen to play for fear of injury? They did not have a say and both Indian and Canadian team management said that they were disappointed the game did not go ahead but not surprised by the umpire's call.
Some reserve players are being released (as reported by Cricbuzz previously). Of course, that concern is always there when you play in conditions that are not ideal. But, the decision to play or not to play was with the match officials. "As a team, we didn't have any say," Vikram Rathour said.
"But if the game had happened that would have really helped us. We were really looking forward to playing a game, to play a good game of cricket. There's always a concern when you play a game in conditions like this that some injury can happen. You're already in Super 8 and you don't want that to happen. That's the last thing you want to happen before you enter the serious part of the tournament," the batting coach said.
Would the game have been an ideal preparation for Virat Kohli, who has only managed to score five runs in three games? There were questions about that and the batting coach pooh-poohed them. "I love it when every time I come there is a question about Virat Kohli, whether he is doing well or not. No concern at all," Rathour said, dismissing a question at the media conference.
"He has been batting superbly from the tournament that he came from. A couple of dismissals here doesn't change anything, he is batting really well. Actually, it's good that he is a little hungrier, he is really keen to do well and really switched on. It's a good space to be in as a batsman, I think."
"There is no need for adrenaline gushes as one could clearly see the risk of injury being immense. When everything is on the line, Kohli will step up for sure," the coach felt. "Looking forward to some good games and watching some good innings from him."
