Key events
“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.
Jolly gloating weather
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.
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).
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.
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
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.
