T20 World Cup’22, ENG vs AUS: In what is being billed as an epic battle, arch-enemies Australia and England will square off against one another. Both of these teams have a long history in cricket, and the river is more than 100 years old. They play in the game’s shortest format today, and more than just pride is at stake. Here, qualification for the semifinals is at stake. Each team, Australia led by Aaron Finch and England led by Jos Buttler, has won or lost a game. This match will increase one team’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals while decreasing another’s. However, there is a significant issue over which neither side can exert control.

Since October 27, it has rained continuously in Melbourne, and October 28 was no exception. The afternoon match between Afghanistan and Ireland was cancelled due to rain, and there is a good chance that the match between England and Australia will also be cancelled. Because there is no reserve day for games that are affected by rain, if the match is washed out, the two teams will each receive one point.

At the T20 World Cup, England and Australia shared a point from their Group 1 match at the MCG because of an unsafe, wet outfield. After both of their initial games ended in losses, both teams now have three points.

As a result, the matchup between these two old rivals on Friday was billed as a “loser goes out” contest.

Sadly, at 8.49 p.m. local time, the umpires ultimately decided to end the game after it rained all day and briefly in the evening. Even though play could have started at 10.04 p.m., with the possibility of a five-over match, the ground would not have dried in time due to the cold evening conditions, especially the bowlers’ run-ups, which were a particular cause for concern.

Heavy downpour over the most recent few days in Melbourne implied the two sides came into Friday realising precipitation would have an impact. It came as no surprise that the first match of the day, between Afghanistan and Ireland, was also abandoned without a coin toss, so it was not surprising that this one was also abandoned.

The highly-anticipated contest between Australia and England has been abandoned due to rain 🌧#T20WorldCup | #AUSvENG | 📝: https://t.co/2Gp7yag0Y7 pic.twitter.com/aInb6SH6hp

— ICC (@ICC) October 28, 2022

“The outfield has taken a drenching over the last couple of weeks, as wet as I’ve ever seen it. The run-ups and around the circle were very, very wet. It’s about player safety. We saw one of the Zimbabweans go down the other day (Richard Ngarava). If you’re trying to run out there, it’s going to be a real issue.”

Aaron Finch, Australia’s captain, said. 

The inspection ended at 7.30 p.m. local time, 30 minutes after the scheduled start time, with the square’s cover still in place while the clouds briefly held.With the drainage system and super-soppers working overtime, surface water remained a concern.

A check at 8.15 p.m. gave way to a check at 8.50 p.m.However, prior to this, a second shower caused the umpires to cancel the game, sending the 30,000 fans who braved the elements on their way.

“Everyone was here to play, everyone was ready to go. And there was a great turnout. It was disappointing not to get on but just the amount of rain Melbourne and the east coast of Australia has had over the last couple of weeks has been amazing.”

Finch added.

Finch also said that Matthew Wade, who tested positive for Covid-19 and had to prepare in a different changing room, was supposed to be in the team when play started. Yesterday, he had a few symptoms, but today, all he had was a headache.However, he was free to go.

England currently sits second in the Group 1 standings thanks to their +0.239 net run rate, three points ahead of Australia and Ireland, who beat them on Wednesday.

However, they also have the most difficult schedule of the teams who could now finish with seven points. New Zealand will play on Tuesday in Brisbane, where more rain is expected, and Sri Lanka will play on Saturday. Australia has upcoming matches against Ireland and Afghanistan in which they could still improve their -1.555 net run rate, despite the fact that two victories would probably be enough to advance England to the semifinals.

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In contrast, New Zealand can afford to lose to England and still qualify if they win their remaining two games against Sri Lanka and Ireland. With only one point separating the six teams, Afghanistan and Ireland are still very much in the running for the knockout stages.