Afghanistan, Ireland share points as rain washes out another match at the MCG

The match between Afghanistan and Ireland in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup has been abandoned without a ball being bowled due to consistent rain at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday.

After the match was abandoned without a toss and a single ball being bowled, both teams shared one point each. The total number of matches now being abandoned in the tournament has become three. For Afghanistan, this is their second consecutive match without any result after the washout against New Zealand at the same venue on Wednesday.

The ground staff at the MCG kept the covers on and the pitch was under wraps as it rained continuously for the majority of the day. The umpires eventually called off the match just after 4:30 pm in Melbourne with rain being forecasted for the whole of Friday.

“Very disappointing. We’d played good cricket and were looking forward to this. Can’t do much about the weather. We will fly up tomorrow. It’ll be like a different country up in Brisbane. We want to push the champions. Lots of things happening, so it’s difficult,” said Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie.

“Most of the players are disappointed, not having played on such a fantastic ground. Rashid and I have played but others haven’t but weather is not in our control. So we have to accept it. We look forward to the future games and hope to win,” said Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi.

With a point against Afghanistan, Ireland has now climbed up two steps to reach No.2 in the Group 1 points table after defeating England and are just behind the toppers New Zealand, who have three points from two games.

Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals might have been boosted, but they still have games left against big teams like Australia and New Zealand.

On the other hand, Afghanistan is currently at the bottom of the Group 1 table with two points from three games after their loss against England in Perth. Teams like Australia, England and Sri Lanka also have two points but they are ahead due to a win against their name from their two matches played.

The second match of the day between Australia and England at the MCG, a match which is crucial for deciding the future of both the teams is also likely to be affected by rain.