England’s bid to get back on track in the T20 World Cup after their mandatory match against Australia was abandoned without a ball thrown in Melbourne.
Incessant rain at MCG called off the previous Friday’s match between Ireland and Afghanistan and it looked like a similar fate would befall rivals Ashes in their possible elimination in the Super 12.
Although the rain eased soon after the set start time of 7pm (9am in the UK), the torrential rains in Melbourne over the past two days have left the ground wet and clean-up efforts have proven to be in vain.
An initial examination took place at 7:30 PM (9:30 AM) before a follow-up 45 minutes later, which led to another somewhat ironic check, the announcement of which was met with boos from the public.
Although only five sums per side were needed to form a game, there were clear concerns about how safe it would be for players, especially for players who entered.
Any concerns were moot, however, as another brief fall into the spotlight left hands shaking at 8:50pm (10:50am) on a frustrating night as the two sides drifted apart by point.
England will not look fondly on their time in Melbourne, having beaten Afghanistan in Perth, suffered a shock five-round defeat to Ireland, with Wednesday’s final halted by a deluge.
Host and title holders Australia also won and lost once, so another setback for both sides will likely decimate their hopes of reaching the semi-finals with a first and second place result in their group.
While this is not a satisfactory outcome, the two nations live to fight another day, with Australia facing Ireland in Brisbane on Monday and England facing New Zealand at the same venue the next day.
