Match abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain (no toss)
Andrew Balbarnie | Ireland skipper: Very disappointing. We played some really good cricket the other night and were looking forward to this fixture against the team we know really well. If it could have gone our way, we could have gone to Brisbane with a lot of hopes of going into the next round, can't do anything about the weather and we just have two more games to try and do our best to get to the semis. We didn't our back our performance after the West Indies game, we spoke a lot about it after the England game about backing up that performance and coming out here and playing some good cricket, we didn't get to show what we could do today unfortunately, but we get a crack at the defending champions in Brisbane. We will fly out tomorrow and get used to the conditions. It's like going to a different country the way the weather has been out there and we look forward having a bit of sun on our back. We will have a good session on Sunday and focus on what we can do to try and knock Australia off their perch. You never know what's gonna happen in this competition with the rain and stuff and NRR, essentially we gotta win games against two of the best teams in the world and if we can put our best feet forward and try to do that, who knows what can happen. Lot of coverage back home about the results and how big it was to do it at a special venue (win against England) and that's why you play the game - you play the game to get people buzzing back home for the sport and hopefully we can continue to do that.
Mohammad Nabi | Afghanistan skipper: Very disappointed to be not playing at such an amazing ground. Me and Rash (Rashid) played a lot of BBL games here, but most of the players are waiting to play here.. But it's not in our hands and we look forward to the upcoming games. The preparation was really good, we learned a lot from our first game against England and worked on our particular mistakes. We were fully ready for these 2 games, but unfortunately we did not get to play. The plan was to put score on the board and bring the spinners into the game during the chase, in the first game also we did few mistakes which is why we couldn't get to the 140-150 score. We watched last 2 games, it was a close game between Zimbabwe and Pakistan. Zimbabwe played really well and fought till the last ball, all the teams are trying to win some games in the World Cup. From last five years we (me and Rashid) played Big Bash here and we share all the experience with our team members and also talk about how to bat and bowl in Australia. Use the bigger boundaries as a bowler, and as a batsman you can't wait for the ball, you hit the ball here and you need to take that attacking approach as a batsman.
16:35 Local Time, 05:35 GMT, 11:05 IST: And the inevitable has happened. Ganesh has just sent in the dreaded two words - Match abandoned. He says, "The umpires just had a word with the captains, and handshakes all around with it still raining heavily." Both the teams go away with a point each. So, Ireland had rain helping them a little against England and now it has come back to bite them. They would have favoured themselves after the high of the previous game but alas the rain has had the last laugh. Afghanistan also would have wanted some action but that won't be the case. That is it from this one. Hope our updates did kill some of your time. But now, lets pray for the next game to produce some sort of a result as the menacing weather isn't looking that good. Switch tabs and keep your fingers crossed as Australia take on England in a couple of hours. Do remember to check out the captain comments which will be up real soon. Tadaa!
16:21 Local Time, 05:21 GMT, 10:51 IST: The cut-off time for a five over game should be 5:15 PM local but we will have to wait for the official word on it. For now, we will play the waiting game. Given the amount of rain we have witnessed in the last few days, this waiting exercise should have become an easy routine. Isn't it?
Mahendra: Melbourne is highly rain-affected this season. I think matches at this venue should be moved to another venue.
Varun: Rain is a huge loss for Ireland. They are coming from a confident win and want to maximize the points. Ireland have an advantage in these conditions compared to Afghanistan.
16:00 Local Time, 05:00 GMT, 10:30 IST: There was an inspection that was supposed to happen but the rain is on and so are the covers. Grab your mug of sputtering coffee if you haven't. If you are a tea lover, forgive me...Given there is another game after this, the umpires will be very cautious about the outfield. That of course isn't good news in case you were trying to figure out. The status quo since the last one hour or so hasn't changed much. The amount of water that the outfield must have soaked in already will be a bone of contention if and when the inspection actually happens.
Uddesh: After yesterday's thriller even Zimbabwe has a chance to qualify for semis. This tournament is becoming unpredictable and then there is also our old friend rain in here.
15:26 Local Time, 04:26 GMT, 09:56 IST: Scratch that last sentence, and probably everything! "Heavier (Rain) now and windy as well. Back to covers on. Next inspection at 4PM IF the rain stops," our man, Ganesh, does not believe in giving any false hopes. He calls them like he sees them.
Mandar: It is going to be exciting few days. Some teams will pray for more rains on a given day, and some will just hope that the game happens!
15:16 Local Time, 04:16 GMT, 09:46 IST: "Next inspection at 16:00 local, about 45 mins from now," pings Ganesh. Rain seems to have eased up now, so a few players out on the ground in huddles, can't see them do drills yet which could mean they're still concerned about the ground conditions. The pitch covers have come off meanwhile," he further adds.
Ruthvik Rao: I think the psychological aspect of the underdog teams like Ireland and Zimbabwe is really great. Their confidence and desire to perform well at the big stage is making them win matches.
Smith: This rain is going to eliminate many favourites of WC.
15:01 Local Time, 04:01 GMT, 09:31 IST: Murky. Murky, and more murky. Rain could be on and off, but the overhead conditions remain a big concern. Covers firmly on at the moment and unfortunately we do not have anything positive to update. The wait continues...
Sachin Budania: Rain is playing gooseberry every other day in this big tournament seems to have impact on teams qualifying for semis.
14:37 Local Time, 03:37 GMT, 09:07 IST: Here is another update from Ganesh C which, I'm afraid, doesn't sound too promising. "First it was just the square, now the bowlers' run up area also under covers. There was a briefly heavy shower just now. And it has been raining on and off all day, so wet outfield could also come into the discussion whenever the rain eases. Not looking too good at the moment."
14:25 Local Time, 03:25 GMT, 08:55 IST: Argh! Our uninvited guest - Rain - is back. "Covers on at the moment," informs our man, Ganesh Chandrasekaran, from the ground. It's getting heavier as I type and the toss, of course, has been delayed. We will get you more updates soon as we have it, but for now you can send in your predictions/views through our 'Have Your Say' section on the site. Do remember to send 'em with a valid name, fire away...
14:15 Local Time, 03:15 GMT, 08:45 IST: There will be an inspection right now and thankfully there's no rain at the moment. Ireland and Afghanistan, in the recent past, have been the most improved sides in the shortest format among the lower-ranked teams. And it wasn't long ago, Ireland clinched a 3-2 series win against Afghanistan at home. So, both these sides will know each other inside out and expect a nail-biter to kickstart our day, weather permitting of course!!
14:00 local: Have you recovered from the Perth thriller yet? The energy, emotions, tears and unbridled joy, of course - we have seen it all last night. What do we have in store for today? Hello and a warm welcome to the double-header party at MCG. First up, we have Afghanistan taking on Ireland. "It's been drizzling on and off this morning and now, everyone's got their fingers crossed," says Shane Watson from the ground. Yes, as you might have feared, this could be one of those start-stop-rain-and-inspection-update kinda day. Brace yourselves for the waiting game, and let's hope the weather stays away...
Preview by Ganesh Chandrasekaran
Overview
After carving out "their greatest T20I win" as skipper Andrew Balbirnie put it, and opening up Group 1, Ireland have another chance to get ahead in the race and cause a flutter in the group. And after fighting hard against England, Afghanistan will also be confident of their own capabilities coming in to play their first game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground after their previous encounter here against New Zealand was washed out.
It presents another chance for the new generation of Ireland's cricketers to add another milestone in what has already been an impressive campaign so far. They've won three out of their five games played since the first round with the obvious high points being their wins over West Indies first and then England. But both Balbirnie and later Lorcan Tucker believed that the most pressure they felt they were under was in the first round when they were in danger of getting knocked out. For a lot of the younger members of the group, international cricket is now the finishing school as Tucker admitted after the game. But with the pressure of proving a point being lifted now that they're in the Super 12, Ireland are doubly dangerous since they can play with the freedom that is an ally for the format. "We're relishing it, we really want to get out there and play," said Tucker looking ahead after the England game.
In contrast, Afghanistan having come into the World Cup after a good run in the format are yet to hit the stride in World Cup 2022. They were unfortunate to have been robbed off game time against New Zealand because of the rain that had earlier helped Ireland. But the batting was outdone by Sam Curran in the first game which could leave them still scratchy on form.
With more game time under their belt and form not a concern, Ireland could start with an edge. However, Afghanistan too will not mind that they get to hit the stride against a team that they've played very often.
"Because we play against them a lot, we know them very well. It's always a good series. It's always a tough encounter. Usually, the matches are pretty close, and we'll be expecting no different," felt Ireland's assistant coach Gary Wilson.
As recently as August this year, the two sides had met in a five-match series which had seen Ireland come up trumps eventually but not until Afghanistan took them into a decider. There too rain had a big say, as it could on Friday.
When: October 28 at 15:00 Local Time, 09:30 IST
Where: Melbourne Cricket Ground
What to expect: There's a high chance of this game too being interrupted by rain given the forecast and the weather conditions in Melbourne.
Head to head: Afghanistan 16 - 7 Ireland
Team watch:
Afghanistan
Injured/Unavailable: There has been no reported injuries for Afghanistan
Tactics & Matchups: The focus will once again be on the spin bowling group of Afghanistan and how they are able to control Ireland's aggressive batters. Ireland came up short once against spin when Sri Lanka managed to choke them, and that could well prove to be a cue for Rashid Khan and Co. albeit in different conditions.
Probable XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Ireland
Tactics & Matchups: With some focus on tackling spin, Ireland will be hard-pressed to counter the ball turning away with an all right-hand batting line-up that they fielded in their successful outing against England. Their bowling, which hinges on being smartly defensive on the other hand, promises to offer as big a challenge against an Afghanistan line-up that likes to take on the attack.
Probable XI: Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling, Lorcan Tucker, Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Fionn Hand, Joshua Little
Did you know?
- Even though Ireland and Afghanistan have played 23 times against each other, it's the first time they will face each other in a world cup
- Rashid Khan's 37 wickets against Ireland is the most by a player against an opponent in T20Is.
- Josh Little has picked the most wickets among seamers in T20Is in 2022
What they said:
I hope we've done something similar. I've always said cricket isn't a big game in Ireland. We're the flag bearers, and we want to make it ag as possible. But it's certainly an absolute pleasure to play here, to lead the first Irish team to ever play here. And we get to play here on Friday, which is such a thrill - Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland Captain
The conditions are totally different from the Asian condition. So, everyone is very excited. And the way I feel yesterday, some of the boys were really upset because of the rain. So that means, that's showing that our players want to play cricket. And teams like Afghanistan and Ireland, they deserve to play more matches against the top nations - Raees Ahmadzai, Afghanistan's Assistant coach
Squads:
Afghanistan Squad: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Darwish Rasooli, Naveen-ul-Haq, Qais Ahmad
Ireland Squad: Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Lorcan Tucker(w), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Fionn Hand, Joshua Little, Simi Singh, Conor Olphert, Graham Hume, Stephen Doheny