A state of emergency has been declared in Fort Lauderdale due to life-threatening flooding.© X (Twitter)
A state of emergency has been declared in Fort Lauderdale due to life-threatening flash floods in Florida. Hundreds of flights to and from South Florida airports have been grounded by local authorities. As a result, the Sri Lankan cricket team, currently participating in the T20 World Cup, has been stranded in the city. Fort Lauderdale is one of three venues scheduled to host T20 World Cup matches in the United States. The first match in the city, between Sri Lanka and Nepal, was also cancelled due to heavy rains both inside and outside the stadium.
“Preliminary reports indicate that rainfall and flooding have impacted, and may continue to impact, the operational capacity of critical infrastructure, including major interstates, state and county roads, airports, schools and other critical infrastructure throughout these counties,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a proclamation.
The Sri Lankan team was scheduled to leave Fort Lauderdale for the Caribbean island on Wednesday but was forced to postpone their departure due to heavy rains and flooding.
Sri Lanka will face the Netherlands in St Lucia in their final group match on Monday, June 17. They have lost two of their three matches so far but still have a slim chance of progressing to the Super 8 stage.
Why Pakistan might lose out due to ‘Emergency’?
Meanwhile, a crucial match will be played at Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale this week as Pakistan and USA battle it out for a place in the next round from Group A.
The USA will play Ireland on Friday, while Pakistan will face the same opponent on Sunday. If the USA beats Ireland or the game is canceled, they will become the second team from Group A to advance to the Super 8, along with India, meaning Pakistan will be eliminated and Sunday’s game will be meaningless.
But if the US loses to Ireland, Pakistan will then face Ireland on Sunday to decide their own fate.
India remain top of Group A with six points from three matches (NRR +1.137), and Rohit Sharma’s men are all set to progress to the Super 8. USA remains second with four points from three matches, but their NRR has dropped to +0.127. This is huge news for Pakistan, as their NRR has now surpassed that of the USA.
This means that if the US loses to the same team on Friday, Pakistan will qualify for the T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight stage even if they narrowly beat Ireland in their final Group A match on Sunday.
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