The T20 World Cup 2024 group stages will see its final set of games be played in the next few days. Group A consists of five teams — India, Pakistan, USA, Ireland and Canada, as they fight to secure a top-two finish.
Team India have already qualified for the Super 8 stage with six points and a healthy net-run rate following their unbeaten run in the tournament.
While Canada and Ireland are mathematically still in the fight, their chances of qualifying are slim-to-none as a result of their poor net-run rates. Both teams have a game to play against India and Pakistan, respectively, as well.
MORE: What is the Super 8 stage of T20 World Cup and how does it work?
On the other hand, USA and Pakistan still have great chances of qualifying to the Super 8s, with a game in hand, as both teams will take on Ireland for their final group-stage game.
With three games left to be played in Group A, things are set in for a thrilling end to the group stages. However, there have been reports of high chances of rain for the upcoming games at Lauderhill, Florida.
The Sporting News takes a look at the different qualification scenarios ahead of the USA vs Ireland, and Pakistan vs Ireland games.
ayo @ICC might wanna move the Florida games across the border, the sun is shining bright here. Florida games getting rained out will dampen your virtually nonexistent efforts to grow the game in North America.
— Cani (@caniyaar) June 12, 2024
🇺🇸 🤝 🇨🇦#DoTheRightThing
pic.twitter.com/RDK1MfMkKB
MORE: T20 Cricket World Cup full fixtures, schedule and results so far
What happens if USA vs. Ireland World Cup at Florida is washed out by rain?
Southern Florida was hit with thunderstorms on Wednesday and state of emergency has been declared in several counties, including Broward County, where the cricket stadium is located.
According to the National Weather Service, several areas in the county saw "life-threatening flooding." Broward and Miami-Dade counties received more than 10 inches of rain on Wednesday itself.
Weather may play a huge part for USA and Pakistan's hopes of qualification to the Super 8 stage.
Here is how things stand in Group A ahead of the final three T20 World Cup 2024 group stage matches at Lauderhill, Florida:
| Rank | Teams | Matches Played | Win-Loss | Points | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India (Q) | 3 | 3-0 | 6 | 1.137 |
| 2 | USA | 3 | 2-1 | 4 | 0.127 |
| 3 | Pakistan | 3 | 1-2 | 2 | 0.191 |
| 4 | Canada | 3 | 1-2 | 2 | -0.493 |
| 5 | Ireland | 2 | 0-2 | 0 | -1.712 |
USA will first play Ireland on Friday, 14th June, followed by Canada vs India on Saturday, June 15, and finally Pakistan vs Ireland on Sunday, June 16.
To keep it simple, if the game between USA and Ireland witnesses either a USA win (2 points) or a rain-washout (1 point), USA will qualify for the Super 8s with 6 points, knocking Pakistan out of the tournament.
However, if the United States lose to Ireland, Pakistan will have to just win their next match against Ireland. This will take them to four points and above USA in the group standings as a result of an advantage of better Net Run Rate (NRR).
Suffice to say, Pakistan will know a day in advance if they are eliminated (USA win or USA-Ireland rain washout) or if their hopes of qualification will be completely in their hands (if USA lose to Ireland).
What is the latest weather forecast at Lauderhill, Florida ahead of USA vs. Ireland T20 World Cup game?
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected during the match, which starts at 10:30 a.m. local time, with extended showers until late in the afternoon.
Weather forecast in Florida: What happens if USA vs. Ireland is stopped by rain?
If play is not possible due to rain, the match will be abandoned, in which case the teams will have to share the points. In that case, USA will qualify to the Super 8s with five points, eliminating Pakistan out of the World Cup in the process.
If there is only a rain delay and overs are lost, Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method will come into play and determine the adjusted targets with respect to the numbers of overs.
In that scenario, USA will have to win the game to secure qualification without depending on the result of the Pakistan-Ireland match.
MORE: What is DLS in cricket and how does it decide rain-affected matches?
What time does the USA vs Ireland T20 World Cup match start?
The ICC T20 World Cup 2024 match between Pakistan and Ireland is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. ET on Friday, June 14.
STREAM: All the T20 WC action live on Fubo for free (free trial)
How to watch the USA vs. Ireland T20 World Cup game?
Fans in the United States and Canada can watch the 2024 T20 World Cup live on WillowTV.
Willow Sports is a cable TV channel. If it's not in your current package or if you don't have cable, you can get it on Fubo.
Fubo now offers Willow TV in its sports package. You can watch live matches, replays, and highlights on demand from any device. Start a free trial today to catch all the action.
You can also stream the tournament live on Sling TV, which offers new subscribers $20 off their first month.
Can the ICC shift T20 Cricket World Cup matches out of Florida?
Some cricket fans on social media have been speculating about this question and demanded that the ICC shift the upcoming three World Cup matches out of Florida due a high threat of rain. Is it really possible?
Unfortunately, it is unlikely for the ICC to adopt such a move. It is difficult or even impossible to shift the venues on such a short notice. Moreover, the logistics involved for such a change in the middle of an ongoing tournament that has been planned well in advance, would be an enormous challenge.
Won’t be too much cricket in Florida this week …
— Larry Leprechaun (@LarryLeprechau) June 11, 2024
… goodbyes in advance to @OfficialSLC @TheRealPCB & @cricketireland
Knowing that there is rain coming why doesn’t the @icc either move games to other venues or schedule rest days??#ThanksICC pic.twitter.com/CmyR55jYM0
The condition in Florida.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 13, 2024
- India Vs Canada, Ireland Vs USA and Pakistan Vs Ireland are set to take place in Lauderhill, Florida. pic.twitter.com/11zPRpVovX