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Friday’s double match abandonment at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has left Group 1 wide open.
A packed house was expected at the MCG on Friday yet not a single ball was bowled in the crunch World Cup group match between Australia and England. Hours earlier Ireland and Afghanistan was also abandoned.
Former England captain Eoin Morgan hit out at the lack of communication from officials to the general public, saying fans were given “false hope” after waiting hours inside the ground.
A win for either Australia or England, who arrived in Melbourne with a win and a loss from their opening two matches, would have seen one powerhouse cricket nation take a giant step towards qualification for the semi-finals. Instead, both sides left Melbourne with a lone point.
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But Friday night’s frustrating wet evening in Melbourne has seen both nations keep their World Cup dreams alive while New Zealand and Sri Lanka particularly would have been happy to see it continue to rain. It comes after New Zealand’s clash with Afghanistan at the MCG on Wednesday was also abandoned.
It means New Zealand, England, Ireland and Australia are locked on three points while Sri Lanka is on two points.
But New Zealand and Sri Lanka, who will take on one another in Sydney on Saturday, both have a game in-hand.
Yet because of Australia’s terrible Net Run-Rate (-1.555) following their first match hiding to New Zealand (-4.450), the defending champions are fourth on the standings in Group 1 and will likely need big wins over Ireland and Afghanistan to stand a chance of progressing.
It means a win for New Zealand will likely see the Black Caps seal a place in the semi-finals by finishing in the top two.
A win for Sri Lanka, however, would blow open the competition with the subcontinent side requiring only a win against Ireland to seal a top two finish.
“Remember that Australia are champions of this format having won that final against New Zealand in Dubai, so the hosts will want to stay in for as long as possible to get to the knockout stages,” former England captain Nasser Hussain said.
“How are they looking, how are England looking? England are into second place.
“I reckon New Zealand and Sri Lanka would have been thrilled with that called off today. They play each other next.”
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Rain washes out Afghanistan v Ireland | 01:38
Australia’s next match is against Ireland on Monday at The Gabba in Brisbane.
After a hot weekend, there is a 40 per cent chance of 0 to 2mm of rain on Monday with the chance of a thunderstorm in the evening.
Tuesday’s match between England and New Zealand looks ominous however, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting 15 to 20mm of rain.
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