Australia’s game against Scotland follows in just over two hours. Do join Daniel Gallan for that one. Time for me to go and lie down in a darkened room. England may yet be sent home, but at least they got a game in, and a second victory. Thanks for your company, correspondence and views on holding a World Cup in the rainy season.
England up to a net run rate of 3.611, which means that Scotland can still progress while losing as long as Australia score 1010 and Scotland make 1009. #T20worldcup
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) June 15, 2024
So England, who couldn’t win in Barbados, have now won twice in Antigua, and won well. “Everyone managed the situation well,” says Jos Buttler. “I thought 120 was a really good score. After I got out I thought 80-90 might be a good score on that wicket, but Jonny Bairstow and Harry Brook pout together a vital partnership… We’ve done all we can do and we’ll see what happens.”
So will he now, Mike Atherton wonders, be an Australia fan for one night only? “Absolutely!”
David Wiese was phenomenal too, with ball and bat. He conceded only six off the 12 balls he bowled, then hit 27 off the 12 he faced. This is his last match and he exits pursued by hugs from the England players. “He’s inspired us to greater heights,” says Gerhard Erasmus.
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England played very well, again. Harry Brook was magnificent and he is the Player of the Match, for his 47 and two nerveless catches. “There was a lot of anxiety,” he says now, but he showed it only for the first four balls of his innings, when he managed three singles. After that, off 17 balls, he waltzed to 47.
England go second because their net run rate rises again, to 3.61. In fact, it’s even better than Australia’s (3.58). Scotland’s NRR is 2.16, so Scotland now need to beat Australia – or hope for a washout.
Updated
England win by 41 runs! And go second in the group
10th over: Namibia 84-3 (Erasmus 1, Smit 0) That is an outstanding last over from Archer.
WICKET! Wiese c Brook b Archer 27 (Namibia 83-3)
Archer’s extra bounce is too much for Wiese, who does well to launch his pull as far as Brook at long-on. The sun is in Brook’s eyes, but he takes his second catch as calmly as his first. He has been superb today, and so has Wiese.
Mid-10th over: Namibia 82-2 (Wiese 26, Erasmus 1) Archer starts well – a single, a dot, another single.
9th over: Namibia 80-2 (Wiese 26) So Namibia need 46 off the last over. Jofra Archer will have to bowl a lot of no-balls.
WICKET! Van Lingen c Brook b Jordan 33 (Namibia 80-2)
After hitting a six, Michael van Lingen has to go for another – and he can’t quite get his on-drive over Harry Brook, who takes a cool calm catch at long-on.
Mid-9th over: Namibia 74-1 (Van Lingen 27, Wiese 26) Jordan calms things down for England by bowling yorkers and going for just three singles. Namibia need 52 off nine now, so it’s six or bust, almost every ball.
That flurry of big hits came after Wiese took a second run because of a misfield from Phil Salt, whose throw went over his own shoulder as the ball slipped in his hand.
8th over: Namibia 71-1 (Van Lingen 26, Wiese 24) Hang on – Wiese has a six in him, straight-driven off the back foot. And another! Slog-swept. Followed by a four, with a lofted cut ... they can’t do this, can they? Wiese may feel they can, now that he has 24 off eight balls. That’s 20 off the over, and now they need 55 from the last two.
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7th over: Namibia 51-1 (Van Lingen 25, Wiese 5) Curran continues and Wiese gets straight down to business with a square punch for four. But this England team, since Thursday, have been showing some resilience, and every big shot seems to be followed by a dot or two. Only seven off the over, which leaves Namibia needing 75 off the last three. It’s almost impossible.
Davin retired out 18 (Namibia 44-1)
6th over: Namibia 44-1 (Van Lingen 23, Wiese 0) Three off every ball? How about six! Michael van Lingen manages it for the first ball of Adil Rashid’s spell, anyway, walloping him over midwicket. Rash recovers well, conceding only four more off the rest of the over. And then Davin retires! Never had to report on that before.
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Match not abandoned!
5th over: Namibia 34-0 (Van Lingen 16, Davin 17) The vital fifth over is entrusted to England’s fourth seamer, Chris Jordan, who had a torrid time against Australia and was dropped for the demolition of Oman. Jordan concedes a six as Davin slaps him over wide third man, but he bounces back with two dots. Davin manages two off the last ball, but Namibia need three off every ball now – 92 from 30. They could lose the game without losing a wicket.
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4th over: Namibia 24-0 (Van Lingen 15, Davin 8) Sam Curran starts well too, dot-one-dot. But then Davin slices outside off and gets four. Most of the runs are going down to third man. Curran finishes well too, with a single and a dot. Namibia need 103 from 36 balls. England are hot favourites now, and it will only take one more over for a result to be guaranteed.
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3rd over: Namibia 18-0 (Van Lingen 14, Davin 3) Topley stays on for the last over of the Powerplay and does well, conceding only two singles from the first five balls. Nikolaas Davin gets in on the act by going down the track and chipping for two, just over Chris Jordan, running back from mid-on.
The Powerplay ends with England on top but Namibia hanging on to all their wickets, which will help them is DLS comes into play again. They need 108 off 42 balls. It’s do or die now.
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2nd over: Namibia 14-0 (Van Lingen 13, Davin 0) From the other end it’s Jofra Archer, whose comeback has been so smooth – it’s as if he never went through two years of torment. Van Lingen fends off a lifter and gets four for it as his fly-swat of a shot pops over Topley at short fine leg. Archer tries it again … and so does Van Lingen – six! Over Buttler’s head. Van Lingen plays his first scoring shot that isn’t a false shot, a chip for two into the covers. The fielder is Ben Duckett, subbing for Livingstone who hurt himself going for that two that never was.
Namibia are up and running. They need 112 off eight overs.
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1st over: Namibia 2-0 (Van Lingen 1, Davin 0) Reece Topley takes the new ball and starts with a dot a no-ball as Michael van Lingen lets that one go, perhaps hoping for a wide. Topley redeems himself by beating the bat with the second ball, so the free hit comes to nothing. Another play-and-miss, and another! It’s Topley’s bounce, more than swing, that seems to be the problem. Van Lingen finally puts bat to ball with a push into the leg side, only to find that Jos Buttler has just moved Moeen there from slip. He gets off the mark in the end with a straight push, and then Topley cramps Davin on off stump. Good over! But then Namibia’s bowlers started well too.
In the meantime, the sun has come out.
After being rudely interrupted, England scored 40 off the last two overs. That lifted their run rate for the innings from 10 to 12. Will it be enough? It will if Topley and Archer bowl as well as Wiese. He finished with 2-0-6-1, when the next most economical bowler was Scholtz with 2-0-24-1. Trumpelmann ended up going for 31 from his two overs, but he did take two wickets to finish his World Cup with six for 88 from his 11 overs. One to watch.
Namibia need 126
Duckworth-Lewis-Stern looks at England’s total of 122 and decides it’s worth … an extra three, as they were expecting 11 overs until that shower after the 8th.
WICKET! Livingstone run out 13 (England finish on 122-5)
10th over: England 122-5 (Brook 47) Trumpelmann’s last ball is a better one and Livingstone finally manages to get run out, trying to turn an easy single into a kamikaze two. Brook, a spectator in this last over, remains unbeaten on 47 from 20. He did so well.
9.5 overs: England 121-4 (Brook 47, Livingstone 12) Livingstone hits his second ball for six too, with a straight thump, so he has done a Phil Salt, starting with two sixes. Then he plays and misses and nearly gets run out – at both ends – but somehow scampers back for two byes.
While it was raining, Richard Slassor sent this. “Someone check behind the stands and see if there’s a man in a kilt with a fire hose. It’s blue skies for Pete’s sake!”
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And Liam Livingstone starts with a six! One-handed, swished over long leg.
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WICKET! Moeen c Davin b Trumplemann 16 (England 107-4)
Trumpelmann strikes! Moeen swings his first ball for six, tries to repeat it and picks out the man at deep midwicket.
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9th over: England 101-3 (Brook 47, Moeen 10) Brassell returns with his bouncy medium pace. Moeen pulls but only gets a single. Brook chips two, and two more – chips with everything. Then he plays a lovely little ramp for four, followed by a tennis shot for six over cover. And he ramps again, for four more, even though the ball pitches outside leg stump. That’s 19 from the over, 18 of them to Brook, who now has 47 off 20 balls.
England may now be on top – but the talented Trumplemann is about to return.
The players are back out there. Let’s see if Harry Brook is still in form.
It's now a T10!
One over has been trimmed off each innings, which means England have only two overs left. And if I’m not mistaken, Wiese can’t come back on, as he has already bowled two overs – just like Jofra Archer against Scotland, some months ago now.
“I am a Namibian, living in the UK,” says Patrick Hubbard, “and currently on holiday in Croatia. The local bars here are a bit empty after Croatia lost to Spain in the Euros, but even so, none are showing the cricket. Happy to tune in via the Guardian and even happier after that first over...!”
Yes, David Wiese was outstanding. And he may have won the match.
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Time for a glance at the post. “Swing. Seam. Spin,” says Duncan Salmon. “Ooh la la, as we say here in France.”
“Well, it’s stopped,” says Mike Atherton, “as far as I can see.” But then he did come out with the curse of the commentator a few minutes ago, telling us how blue the sky was just before the rain returned.
Rain stops play! (England 82-3)
And off they go, with the groundstaff racing on before anyone had noticed whether the umpires had summoned them. That could be that for England’s innings. Have they got enough?
Brook has done well, making 29 off 15 balls, and 26 of those off his last 11. And Moeen has started with his usual nonchalance, making nine off three balls.
8th over: England 82-3 (Brook 29, Moeen 9) In comes Moeen, who said after the defeat to Australia that England needed to be braver. He shows what he meant by starting with a two and a six, sweetly swung over the man at long-on. But now it’s raining …
WICKET! Bairstow c Green b Scholtz 31 (England 69-3)
Scholtz returns and strikes right away! Bairstow is caught off a big top edge with the keeper Green taking command. Live by the skyer, die by the skyer.
Fifty partnership for Bairstow and Brook
7th over: England 69-2 (Bairstow 31, Brook 25) Erasmus keeps himself on and Bairstow tucks in with a pull for six. The Namibians then miss a run-out as the surface, which has been on their side also far, gives England a hand – the throw from the deep was good but the ball skidded, making it hard for Erasmus to take. Brook picks up two for that, then another two, and then four as he plays that signature shot of his – a savage glide. The partnership is now a formidable 56 from 29 balls.
6th over: England 52-2 (Bairstow 25, Brook 15) Off goes the slow left-armer and on comes Jack Brassell, springy right-arm medium. Brook likes the sound of that – he late-drives for two, on-drives for six, then cuts for four more. He misses the last two balls, but that’s still 13 off the over, and the partnership is already 39 off 23. England coming back into it, but have they left it too late? Half their innings has gone.
5th over: England 39-2 (Bairstow 24, Brook 3) Erasmus must have been tempted to keep the wise old Wiese on, but he opts to keep him as an option for later (one bowler can have three overs, the others are all condemned to two). Erasmus brings himself on, with his off-breaks, and he nearly gets Bairstow caught off a skyer. But the ball drops between two or three fielders and Bairstow celebrates by hammering a pull for four. Brook, meanwhile, is getting ’em in singles.
4th over: England 29-2 (Bairstow 15, Brook 2) The first change of bowling as Trumpelmann’s gives way to Bernard Scholtz, also left-arm, but slow. He starts very well, one-dot-dot, as the ball continues to stick in the pitch. But then Bairstow puts out the reverse sweep and gets four …, and he follows that with the first six of the game, hit very hard over mid-on. Barstow is rising to this occasion in a way he didn’t against Australia: a tentative seven off 13 balls then, a bullish 15 off nine so far today.
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3rd over: England 18-2 (Bairstow 5, Brook 1) Harry Brook comes in at No 4, blocks one, then dabs one for a quick single, well spotted by Bairstow. The leg-cutter to Salt was also a slower ball – the replay shows him going through with the shot too early. Bairstow gets a slower ball too, picks it, and chips it for four, but then he misses an outswinger.
And that’s the end of the Powerplay, with Namibia still on top. David Wiese, by the way, is 39.
WICKET! Salt c Green b Wiese 11 (England 13-2)
And another! Wiese bowls a leg-cutter and Salt can only nick it to the keeper. Salt and sweet, once again: 11 off eight balls, to go with 12 off three.
2nd over: England 13-1 (Salt 11, Bairstow 1) Jonny Bairstow manages to push a quick single, and then Phil Salt launches the counter-attack. He flat-bats a short ball straight back past the bowler, then flashes hard and gets four more. A wide – a very wide wide, outside off – and another single make it 12 off the over.
Buttler went for his first big shot and Trumpelmann’s swing was too good for him. Or maybe seam – the ball pitched on middle and hit leg.
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WICKET! Buttler b Trumpelmann 0 (England 2-1)
Well, well.
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1st over: England 1-0 (Salt 1, Buttler 0) Buttler can’t get it away either – he plays a push back to Wiese, flirting with a caught-and-bowled. And then he misses an outswinger. And another! Namibia well on top so far.
1st half-over: England 1-0 (Salt 1, Buttler 0) Salt plays and misses! At a gentle bouncer from David Wiese – perhaps he was surprised by the lack of pace. And he also misses the next one, which is quicker. The third ball, fuller, is pushed for a single. Superb stuff from Wiese so far.
It’s Phil Salt and Jos Buttler to open the batting, as usual. Salt has faced three balls on this ground in this World Cup and made 12 runs.
The anthems are under way. “Yeah, just what we need,” says Richard Slassor, “some anthems to eat in to the limited playing time. Just get on with it pleeeease!”
“We’re going to lose this, aren’t we?” says Tom van der Gucht. “After potentially avoiding the ignominy of being bundled out by the weather, we’re now going to get over-excited before being bowled out for 70 whilst thrashing around wildly and Namibia will end up winning with one ball to spare.” The authentic voice of the England supporter.
Teams in full
While England have reinforced their bowling, Namibia have gone the other way and brought in an extra batter – JP Kotze, who replaces Ben Shikongo.
England 1 Salt, 2 Buttler (capt, wk), 3 Bairstow, 4 Brook, 5 Moeen, 6 Livingstone, 7 Curran, 8 Jordan, 9 Archer, 10 Rashid, 11 Topley.
Namibia 1 Van Lingen, 2 Davin, 3 Frylinck, 4 Kotze, 5 Erasmus (capt), 6 Wiese, 7 Smit, 8 Green (wk), 9 Trumpelmann, 10 Scholtz, 11 Brassell.
“It’s been frustrating,” says Jos Buttler. “But delighted that we’re getting a game.” He has adapted his line-up to the shortened game, bringing in Sam Curran for Will Jacks, and Chris Jordan for Mark Wood. So England will have four frontline seamers, plus Adil Rashid. And Jonny Bairstow, or maybe Moeen Ali, will move up to No 3.
Updated
Toss: Namibia win and bowl
“Pretty easy one in a shortened game,” says Gerhard Erasmus.
Updated
The players are out there, warming up. And the toss should be any minute.
Play could start in 25 minutes!
We may yet have a game. It will be 11 overs a side and will start at 4pm in Antigua, 9pm BST… if the rain stays away.
4pm start in Antigua (40 mins from now), 11 overs per side ... as it stands... gulp
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) June 15, 2024
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Play up, play up ... “When will cricket grow up,” asks Taylor, “and realise you have to play the game? Change the playing conditions and play. The current situation makes the game look like a joke and alienates people.”
“Rain, rain,” says Tom Kington. “Why don’t tournaments just roll matches on to the next day? Unlikely the same venue won’t be available? Everyone already there, tickets roll over too.” Sorted!
“American here,” says Dan. “More of a music fan than sports, but have been trying to understand cricket a little since it’s been getting a bit of attention here recently. If I understand correctly, England first invented cricket and rain. But then Scotland came along and invented JAMC and Garbage; and that’s why Scotland is happy when it rains and (heaven knows) the English are miserable now?” Nice one, Dan.
“It’s Mohamed from Joburg,” the next email begins. “Why is it,” he wonders, “that the media is trying to push the story line that it is the ICC to blame for England’s most likely departure from this year’s World Cup? And not the fact that Jos Buttler chose to bowl a part time spinner in the second over against the Aussies which is one of the major reasons they lost that game. Because if they won that game they would be sitting pretty in the group, knowing that it would be the Aussies sweating for a result against the Scots.”
Yes, Buttler must be kicking himself for that over from Will Jacks. But Australia might well have won anyway. And it is a small scandal, isn’t it, if a team can be eliminated when they’ve only lost once? And if the ICC schedules a big tournament for the rainy season without providing reserve days.
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In case you’re not already keeping an eye on the football … it’s still raining goals. The tally is now now up to 16 in the Euros, from three games and a bit. Do join John Brewin for the details.
“I get that rain changes the game, the pitch, the ball etc,” says Ed Smyth, “but I can’t understand why we don’t just play through - every other major sport seems to do it, other than ‘it’s just not cricket’ why are hundreds/thousands of in person fans and potentially more virtual fans denied the chance to watch the sport, and why are teams denied the chance to play games that could push the sport forward in their country? Imagine if the USA had all their games rained off, the whole thing would be decried as a failure.
“And sorry to rant at you, I’ll still OBO with you through every unplayed match or day.” Ah thanks. It seems fair enough to do some ranting at the rain.
The answer, I suppose, is that it wouldn’t be safe to bowl fast on a sodden surface – though Mark Wood, for one, could generate a fair amount of speed off two paces.
This won't be a T20
There definitely won’t be a 20-over match now, as we’re already 40 mins past the cut-off for that. This is an uneducated guess, but I’d say the best we can hope for is ten overs a side. The least we need for it to count as a contest is five a side. Overs, that is. Though a game of football might not be the worst idea.
Still raining
Rain is falling and those puddles are getting bigger. The only people playing cricket are a gaggle of fans who have started a game on the tarmac. They seem to have brought some proper stumps.
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“England fan here,” says David Bertram. “Feels like justice is being done as the Scotland team was most likely to win before the game was called off. Surely, given these games are so short, having some flexibility to finish the game the next day would make total sense. Or scrap the groups and have a straight knockout tournament. Btw, I went to some of the NYC games with the slow pitch and lack of boundaries making compelling cricket.”
Thank you David… At the risk of being pompous, sport needs fans who are sporting.
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Jolly gloating weather
What a beautiful day for a game of cricket in St Lucia! ☀️😍🇱🇨
— Cricket Scotland (@CricketScotland) June 15, 2024
🏴 v 🇦🇺 begins at 0130 BST… ⏰#FollowScotland #t20worldcup pic.twitter.com/hOaLQwFPll
More from Ali, not about the rain this time. “If readers would like a flavour of the tunes currently pumping out of the Sir Viv,” he says, “then have a listen to this. Savannah Grass, by Kes (who also wrote the tournament’s official song). It’s a belter.”
The next update will be at 8pm BST, 3pm in Antigua. Meanwhile Richard Price, on X, has picked up on my point from 18:10 about the rain being a case of bad planning, more than bad luck. “Agreed it’s rainy season,” he says. “But it’s also record levels of rain in Florida, induced by the extraordinary heat dome centred over Mexico, which is largely due to global warming. This tournament has been v good but smashed up in places by global warming.”
Granted, the farce in Florida was hard to foresee, but not the rain in the Caribbean. And if the ICC had to take that risk, they could have reduced it by scheduling reserve days, or at least some extra reserve hours. England v Scotland was abandoned, if I remember right, at 2.15 in the afternoon local time. And sure enough, there was still some good weather to come that day. This is not to suggest, by the way, that England would have won that game.
“There’s a certain karmic irony to the possibility that rain might knock out holders England,” says Darryl Accone in Johannesburg. “Namibia is an exceptionally dry country, where the volume of rain in Antigua would be cause for celebration. And so, this could be the way Buttler’s world ends, with a whimper about the weather.”
Point taken about the irony, but Jos Buttler’s world won’t end if this game is a washout. He’ll still be one of the all-time great white-ball players, someone who played a central role in a World Cup triumph as a wicketkeeper-batter, then did it again as a captain. More importantly, he’ll still be a father of three, with a new baby to look after when he gets home. It’s only a game.
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And here’s another email from Ali Martin. “I have to say, my optimism earlier has dropped like the wind in Antigua,” he writes. “Thought it would blow over but am currently staring at rain hosing down on the covers. Gah. We think a five-over game has to start by 4.46pm, so still time. Nothing like a bit of drama.” Ha, true. And 4.46pm in Antigua is 9.46pm in the UK. Hours of fun still to come!
Not much need for an official update, alas. “It is utterly bucketing down now in Antigua,” says Lawrence Booth, once of this parish, on Twitter. “The weather can change quickly here, but England may be done for.”
The next update will apparently be at 2pm local time, 7pm BST. That’s according to our friends at Cricinfo. So do feel free to follow the football for the next 35 minutes, which will take you almost to the end of Spain v Croatia. As that match has been one-sided so far, I’d rather watch Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter play their semi-final at the Nottingham Open – but that game, like this one, is waiting for the rain to stop.
Why are football managers like police officers? They’re getting younger.
Meanwhile, at the European Championship, it’s raining goals. Thirteen so far in just over two and a half games.
The latest news, like the weather, is mixed.
The good(ish) news in Antigua is that is where the clouds are blowing in from, as seen from the back of the stadium. The heaviest downpour has passed, for the time being, though it’s still raining - more heavily even as I write this. pic.twitter.com/0H0Bmpulnr
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) June 15, 2024
“One of the beauties of cricket.” says Tom van der Gucht, “is its moralistic features.” Discuss! “The way that there seems to be a hierarchy in the selection process with players earning their right to be the next back off the rank, or to get a fair crack of the whip rather than (Archer and Willey excluded) just pick the best player going...
“With that in mind, if England are eliminated by the rain, would it be fair to sack Matthew Mott? Does he deserve a further year to develop his vision when we’ve had two washouts, or was the loss to Australia and shellacking we took from Scotland, not to mention the raw scars of the ODI World Cup, enough to give him his P45?”
My gut reaction is that it might be harsh but fair. He doesn’t seem comfortable in the job, and (to be fair) it is a weird one now that Test cricket has regained its place as England’s priority. He keeps saying that he hardly ever has time with the players. The role may need to be rethought, so that the coach can combine it with something else.
“What is going on with the weather in this World Cup?” splutters Brendan Large. “Do you have any idea if this is just bad luck or bad planning? Has there ever been a world T20 that has had this many games rained off? It really isn’t cricket... although that’s exactly what it is... argh.”
It’s bad planning: the rainy season in the Caribbean runs from June to November. Somebody at the ICC seems to have forgotten to google it.
A glimmer of hope (for England fans).
Blue sky in the direction the weather is coming from #EngvNam #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/dIXMLECNNi
— Ali Martin (@Cricket_Ali) June 15, 2024
The lie of the land
Play should be starting now. But we could, in theory, still have a full game – the cut-off for that to get under way comes about 85 minutes from now, at 2.30pm local time, 7.30pm BST. If play starts after that, it will fewer than 20 overs a side. The fewest possible is five overs each. Otherwise it’s a washout, and for England, it’s a knockout.
Updated
The groundstaff are peering under the covers … and splashing around in their wellies. I’ve seen better playing surfaces at Glastonbury.
That sharp shower has now abated, but it has left puddles on the outfield. Meanwhile the first email has come in, from our old friend Simon McMahon. “Well, Tim, this is shaping up to be quite the weekend for Scottish sports fans,” he says. “Our footballers soundly thrashed by Germany in the Euros opener, Bob MacIntyre missing the cut at the US Open by a shot, and likely to exit the World T20 on the cricketing equivalent of goal difference. Unless of course the weather intervenes. Is it cowardly to pray for rain?” Ha.
It never rains, but ...
It is now pouring in Antigua. Nasser, Ward and Eoin Morgan are chatting on under white umbrellas, so at least they’re not getting Rishied.
Toss delayed!
The covers are on. “We have had some very heavy rain here,” says Ian Ward on Sky. But … “Nasser [Hussain] has been assured by the groundsman that we will get a game.”
Plenty of blue sky, says our man in Antigua
For the word from the Viv, I emailed Ali Martin, the Guardian’s cricket correspondent. “Covers coming on as I type,” he replied. Ah, damn. “Feels like a day of showers, rather than anything terminal ... plenty of blue sky in between the grey blobs.” Ah, phew.
At least this game’s not in Florida.
India v Canada is washed out - a third successive abandonment out of three at Lauderhill, Florida.
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) June 15, 2024
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to England’s next assignment in a challenging World Cup. Today they may have to take on two opponents at once: Namibia and the rain.
The latest forecast I’ve seen for Antigua’s airport, about three miles from the ground as the crow flies, is for “thundery showers and a gentle breeze”. If that leads to a no-result, England will crash out of the tournament. They’ll be stranded on four points, still one behind Scotland, who will sail through to the Super Eights before they even meet Australia.
The good news is that at least we won’t all be spending the rest of the day banging on about net run rate. The bad news is that we may well be droning on about Duckworth-Lewis-Stern instead.
Namibia are already out, even though they registered the first win in this group by beating Oman in a Super Over. For them, it’s a chance to meet England for the first time in T20. The only previous meeting between the two sides was a 50-over game in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, when England won but Namibia emerged with their heads held high. Andrew Flintoff, now a member of England’s coaching team, played in that match, as did Jimmy Anderson.
Play starts, in theory, at 6pm BST (1pm in Antigua), so I hope to be back soon after 5.30pm BST with news of the toss and teams.
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