The severe tornadoes and thunderstorms that have wreaked havoc across the central and southern United States in recent weeks have also had an impact on the ICC T20 World Cup, with the cancellation of Tuesday’s official warm-up match between the United States and Bangladesh at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Canada and Nepal were scheduled to play the first warm-up match at the venue on Monday, but severe weather, including a severe storm, forced organizers to cancel the match. Cricket journalist Peter Della Penna reported that thunderstorms with winds exceeding 80 mph and flood warnings swept through the stadium, where the tournament’s opening match was scheduled to be held on June 1.
A temporary giant screen set up at the venue to show replays and match-related graphics was also destroyed by the heavy storm.
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Storm poses further threat to T20 World Cup matches?
The death toll from the storm had risen to 22 by Monday, and left much of the country’s population stranded, according to an Associated Press report: “The destructive storm caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky, just north of an early-season heatwave that caused record heat from South Texas to Florida.”
Forecasters also predicted the storm could move up the East Coast later on Tuesday and issued a tornado watch for North Carolina and Maryland, an area between New York and Florida where other T20 World Cup matches are scheduled to be held.
Storms in the central US last week also caused havoc during the bilateral T20I series between the US and Bangladesh. In Houston, the start of the series on May 21 was in jeopardy after a heavy storm damaged infrastructure at the Prairie View Cricket Complex. The hosts went on to record a historic 2-1 series victory over Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Texas is scheduled to host two preview matches on Thursday and Friday: Nepal vs. USA and Netherlands vs. Canada.
Co-hosts the United States and Canada, who are in Group A, will compete in the opening match of the first-ever 20-team World Cup to be held at the same venue on June 1 (June 2 in India).
T20 World Cup matches scheduled for Texas
June 1: USA vs Canada, Dallas – 6am Indian Standard Time (June 2) (7:30pm local time)
June 4: Netherlands vs Nepal, Dallas; 9:00 pm Indian Standard Time (10:30 am local time)
June 6: USA vs Pakistan, Dallas – 9pm Indian Standard Time (10:30am local time)
7 June: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Dallas; 6am Indian Standard Time (7:30pm local time)
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First uploaded: 28 May 2024 20:28 IST
