Unfortunately, the Group A match between India and Canada in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill was called off without a ball being bowled. This marked the third consecutive abandoned match in this tournament at Lauderhill, following the Sri Lanka-Nepal and Ireland-USA clashes.
Former India cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar expressed their disappointment during the broadcast, highlighting the need for ICC tournament regulations to include provisions for venues to be fully covered in case of inclement weather.
Upon arriving at the venue, it was clear that the outfield was still wet, with soggy spots present around the 30-yard circle. The square remained covered under gloomy skies, with scattered thunderstorms predicted for the day causing a delay in the scheduled coin toss. The on-field umpires, Richard Kettleborough and Sharfuddoula, inspected the ground and spoke with ground staff while waiting for better weather conditions. Super soppers and massive hairdryers were put to use to dry up damp areas on the outfield, but by 9:03 pm IST, it was decided to abandon the match.
With this result, India finished their Group A campaign unbeaten with seven points from four games. They will now focus on their first Super Eight game against Afghanistan at Kensington Oval in Barbados. On the other hand, Canada moved into third place in Group A standings due to this abandoned match as Pakistan had already been eliminated from competition beforehand. Pakistan would need a win against Ireland in their final match at Lauderhill to secure third place in group A.
Overall it is unfortunate that these matches were abandoned due to weather conditions but sometimes things happen beyond our control
