Because of the potentially fatal flash floods in Florida, a state of emergency has been proclaimed in Fort Lauderdale. The local authorities have grounded hundreds of planes that are scheduled to depart from and arrive at airports in South Florida. The cricket squad from Sri Lanka, which is presently competing in the T20 World Cup, was consequently left stuck in the city. One of the three American locations set to host the T20 World Cup matches is Fort Lauderdale. It will host three crucial matches between the United States, Pakistan, and India. Because of the intense rain inside and outside the stadium, the first game in the city, which was Sri Lanka vs. Nepal, was also cancelled.
“Preliminary reports indicate that the rainfall and flooding has affected and may continue to impact the operational capability of critical infrastructure, including major interstates, state and county roadways, airports, schools, and other critical infrastructure throughout these counties,” Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said in the declaration.
The state of emergency has also been issued by Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis.
The Sri Lankan squad was scheduled to travel for the Caribbean islands on Wednesday by plane from Fort Lauderdale, but they had to postpone their trip due to severe rain and floods.
On Monday, June 17, Sri Lanka will meet the Netherlands at St Lucia in their last group match. Despite having lost two of their first three games, they still have a slim chance of moving on to the Super 8 round.
Important matches this week will take place at Fort Lauderdale’s Central Broward Regional Park, where Pakistan and the United States will compete for a spot in the next round of Group A.
Pakistan plays the same opponents on Sunday while the USA plays Ireland on Friday. The United States will join India as the second team from Group A to qualify for the Super8 if they defeat Ireland or the game is called off. Ireland and the USA will each receive one point in a washed-out contest. As a result, Pakistan can only score as many as four points, while the United States can score five.
This means that if the USA vs. Ireland game in Florida is postponed due to rain, Pakistan’s match on Sunday is meaningless since they will be eliminated.
On the other hand, Pakistan can control their own fate when they play the Irish on Sunday if the USA lose against Ireland.
India has six points from three games (NRR+1.137), maintaining their lead in Group A. A Super 8 berth is guaranteed for the team captained by Rohit Sharma. USA are still second with four points from three games but their NRR has reduced to +0.127. This is a major good news for Pakistan as their NRR is now better that USA’s.
This means that Pakistan can qualify for T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight stage even if they beat Ireland by a narrow margin in their last Group A match on Sunday, provided USA lose to the same team on Friday.
