NEW DELHI: Debutants USA, several of whose players juggle cricket with day jobs, advanced to the next round of the 2024 T20 World Cup Americas on Friday after their final Group A match against Ireland in Lauderhill, Florida, was called off.
The cancellation of the USA vs Ireland match meant that 2009 champions Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament.
The U.S. qualified for the Super Eight stage with wins over neighbors Canada and tournament powerhouse Pakistan in their first matches.
With their final group match cancelled, they will join India in the next round of the cricket extravaganza.
The United States finished the group stage with five points from four games.
Even if Pakistan win their remaining matches against Ireland, they can only pick up a maximum of four points.
Pakistan had already suffered a setback before the tournament was cancelled, having suffered a narrow defeat to India in New York while chasing a target of 120 runs.
What actually happened
Earlier, their opening match in Dallas ended in a surprising defeat in the Super Over against USA.
With consecutive losses, Pakistan’s progress to the Super Eight depends on the results of other matches.
The tournament is being co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies as part of the ICC’s efforts to grow cricket in the region.
The U.S. team’s performance so far suggests a serious attempt to attract NFL, MLB and NBA fans to cricket.
The USA began their campaign with a convincing win over Canada by nearly 200 runs, before defeating Pakistan in the biggest upset of the T20 World Cup.
The Americans presented a strong challenge to the favourites in the match against India, and their momentum can be traced back to a morale-boosting T20I series win over Bangladesh prior to the tournament.
The U.S. team includes eight players of Indian descent, many of them on temporary H1-B visas that allow companies to hire foreign workers. These players have helped revive cricket in the U.S., which hosted the first international cricket match between the U.S. and Canada in 1844, before the first Test match between England and Australia.
Tropical thunderstorms ripped through Florida, bringing constant rain and flooding, raising speculation that Friday’s game would be canceled.
Points Table | schedule
But even if the match had taken place, the USA team, buoyed by previous wins and a strong performance against India, would have been confident of beating Ireland and progressing to the Super Eights.
The cancellation of the USA vs Ireland match meant that 2009 champions Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament.
The U.S. qualified for the Super Eight stage with wins over neighbors Canada and tournament powerhouse Pakistan in their first matches.
With their final group match cancelled, they will join India in the next round of the cricket extravaganza.
The United States finished the group stage with five points from four games.
Even if Pakistan win their remaining matches against Ireland, they can only pick up a maximum of four points.
Pakistan had already suffered a setback before the tournament was cancelled, having suffered a narrow defeat to India in New York while chasing a target of 120 runs.
What actually happened
Earlier, their opening match in Dallas ended in a surprising defeat in the Super Over against USA.
With consecutive losses, Pakistan’s progress to the Super Eight depends on the results of other matches.
The tournament is being co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies as part of the ICC’s efforts to grow cricket in the region.
The U.S. team’s performance so far suggests a serious attempt to attract NFL, MLB and NBA fans to cricket.
The USA began their campaign with a convincing win over Canada by nearly 200 runs, before defeating Pakistan in the biggest upset of the T20 World Cup.
The Americans presented a strong challenge to the favourites in the match against India, and their momentum can be traced back to a morale-boosting T20I series win over Bangladesh prior to the tournament.
The U.S. team includes eight players of Indian descent, many of them on temporary H1-B visas that allow companies to hire foreign workers. These players have helped revive cricket in the U.S., which hosted the first international cricket match between the U.S. and Canada in 1844, before the first Test match between England and Australia.
Tropical thunderstorms ripped through Florida, bringing constant rain and flooding, raising speculation that Friday’s game would be canceled.
Points Table | schedule
But even if the match had taken place, the USA team, buoyed by previous wins and a strong performance against India, would have been confident of beating Ireland and progressing to the Super Eights.
