🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 30: Ireland vs USA, Florida @8:00 PM IST🏏

🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: Match 30: Ireland vs USA, Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida on 14/06/2024 @8:00 PM IST🏏

Rainy Florida awaits confident USA and demoralised Ireland

A flash-flood emergency is likely to wash out the game, in which case USA will qualify for the Super Eight at Ireland and Pakistan's expense

Weather likely to end Ireland and Pakistan's hopes

Florida is in the midst of a tropical disturbance that has brought intense rainfall. And there's no respite for the remainder of the week. A flash-flood emergency in the region threatens to wash out the entire leg of matches at Central Broward Park.

Two days ago, Nepal vs Sri Lanka was washed out before there could be a toss. Friday's morning fixture between USA and Ireland will likely meet the same fate. If that happens, USA can celebrate; a Super Eight berth will be theirs along with India from Group A. It will mean a dagger through Pakistani hearts; it will seem inevitable after they opened their campaign with back-to-back losses to USA and India.

Saurabh Netravalkar may need to change the date of his 'out of office' email from June 17 until possibly the end of the month. It's likely he won't need to tell his employers why. The cricketing world watched his opening salvo with the new ball as he famously dismissed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in successive overs on Wednesday morning.

Ireland are entering this game with slim hopes of qualifying. Having begun the tournament with two morale-shattering losses themselves, including one to Canada, they need to win both their remaining games by considerable margins.

But instead of plotting and planning, they will likely be scouring weather forecasts, and that may not change anything. It's that bleak.

[Tag and Logo Credit to Wildestdreams]

Weather Forecast: As per Accuweather, things don't look too good in terms of weather for this clash. It is expected to be mostly cloudy and humid all throughout the day accompanied by showers and thunderstorms. 

They is an 88% chance of precipitation and over 50% probability of thunderstorms in Florida. Moreover, there is going to be a thick blanket of cloud cover over the stadium, about 76% of the sky would be covered by the clouds.

Looking at these predictions, it seems highly unlikely that the match would take place without any interruptions.

Pitch and conditions

Heavy rain is forecast for the next three days. The pitches have mostly been under covers and that's unlikely to change. A state of emergency has been declared in five counties, including Broward where the stadium is located. It'll need a miracle even for the curators to simply have a look at the surface underneath.

In the spotlight - Monank Patel and Paul Stirling

Monank Patel missed Thursday's match against India due to a shoulder niggle. The USA captain has been in good form too; his half-century was pivotal in their taking the game against Pakistan into a Super Over. In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, he struck two match-winning half-centuries against Canada, while a crucial 42 helped steer USA home against Bangladesh. While the team management is optimistic of him being ready for Friday, the rain may just come as a blessing in disguise to give him two extra days to recover in time for the Super Eight.

He can make heads turn with his robust approach in the powerplay, but Paul Stirling has endured a lean run lately, dismissed for 2 and 9 in Ireland's first two games. His highest score in seven T20Is since the start of May is 36 against Netherlands. Ireland will need much more than that if they are to compete. Stirling has been a part of several giant-killing acts during the course of his career. Can he come up with another to keep the group alive, if rain allows play?

Team watch:

USA:

After dropping Nostush Kenjige from the eleven, USA employed only pace men to deliver all of their 18.2 overs against India, deciding against introducing Harmeet in the India game. With the conditions at hand expect USA to go with the same attack in this crunch game. There hasn't been any word from the team management over captain Monank Patel's availability.

Probable XI: Monank Patel (captain) (wk), Steven Taylor, Andries Gous, Aaron Jones (vice captain), Corey Anderson, Nitish Kumar, Jasdeep Singh, Harmeet Singh, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan

Ireland:

Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland's man for all seasons has endured a torrid run in his last 5 outings for Ireland. Not someone to be kept quiet for long, Balbirnie would be itching to make a mark at the world stage especially after his match winning 77 against Pakistan in May.

Probable XI: Paul Stirling (captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Benjamin White, Josh Little, Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, Barry McCarthy

Probable Best Batter of the match:

Aaron Jones has been in brilliant form since the start of the World Cup. He is the second-leading run-getter of the tournament with 141 runs after three matches. In the first game, he scored an unbeaten 40-ball 94 against Canada before following it up with a 26-ball 36versus Pakistan. In their previous game against India, the 29-year-old scored 11 runs. At No. 3, Jones' role is going to be very crucial for the USA.

Probable Best Bowler of the match:

Saurabh Netravalkar has been one of the best bowlers in the early stages of the tournament and is performing brilliantly for the USA. In three games, he has bagged four wickets at an average of 13.00 and a strike rate of 15.00. His economy rate is 5.20. It is going to be intriguing to see how the Irish batters counter Netravalkar 's threat.

Batters To Watch(recent stats)

Andries Gous,  USA

9 M • 263 Runs • 29.22 Avg • 143.71 SR

Monank Patel,  USA

7 M • 240 Runs • 34.29 Avg • 138.72 SR

Andy Balbirnie,  IRE

10 M • 276 Runs • 27.6 Avg • 112.65 SR

Lorcan Tucker,  IRE

10 M • 257 Runs • 25.7 Avg • 132.47 SR

Bowlers To Watch(recent stats)

Saurabh Netravalkar,  USA

10 M • 12 Wkts • 6.97 Econ • 16 SR

Shadley van Schalkwyk,  USA

8 M • 8 Wkts • 8.73 Econ • 19.5 SR

Mark Adair,  IRE

10 M • 18 Wkts • 7.88 Econ • 13.27 SR

Craig Young,  IRE

6 M • 10 Wkts • 9.52 Econ • 13.8 SR

Today's Match Prediction: Team that bats first to win the match

Scenario 1

USA win the toss and opt to bat first

Power Play Score: 45-55

First Innings Score: 155-165

USA win the match

Scenario 2

Ireland win the toss and opt to bat first

Power Play score: 35-45

First Innings Score: 145-155

USA win the match

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.

The two nations squared off against each other at the same venue in December 2021 and shared the honours one all in a 2 match T20I series. USA sent shockwaves with a 26 run win over full members Ireland more than 2 years back, the fact that they now start as favourites is a sporting fairytale that has engripped the cricketing world.

When:14 June 2024 | 10.30 AM local time | 14:30 GMT (June 14) | 8 PM IST (June 14)

Where: Central Broward Park, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

What to expect: The track in Fort Lauderdale has been a batsman's paradise in its short international history. However, it will be under covers for more than 72 hours leading up to the game. Expect a soft and damp surface for the game in addition to overcast conditions, in what is rapidly turning out to be a bowlers' world cup.

What they said:

''It's something that we've all been thinking about after beating Pakistan. It'll be a dream come true to go to the next round. Especially the Super Eight would be the first time it's happened as well. But at the end of the day, it's close. Until the next World Cup event is, we're [going] all out.'' - USA batter Steven Taylor on their prospects of qualifying into the Super 8s.

"I think for us our objective is still to qualify for the next round. However [if] we need to do that, I'm sure we'll be pretty clear leading into tomorrow how we need to do that. I think it's a fair point about objective A being winning the match but at the end of the day we're not here to try and scrape by teams, we're here to try and qualify for the next round. If that means that we have to go out there and put in a big performance with bat and ball, then so be it. I think that'll definitely be our mindset." - Irish all-rounder Mark Adair on their qualification chances.

The sunshine state hasn't seen much sun lately as the greater Miami area finds itself swamped with as much as 10-12 inches of rain in certain neighbourhoods. Several visuals of waterlogged houses and submerged cars on the streets of south Florida did the rounds on social media. While those visuals may foster US fans to morbidly hope for the game to wash out, it leaves Pakistan on a precipice. The equation is quite clear, a USA win or a wash out takes USA to the super 8 stage. Whereas a loss would leave USA at the mercy of the outcome of the Pakistan and Ireland game. In a game where Pakistan stands to afford nothing less than a win.

However, USA have shown that if they press on with the fervour with which they have played their cricket in the past 3 months, a washout may after all be superfluous. The manner in which USA kept India on the leash for the majority of the run chase on Wednesday speaks volumes of the force they are turning out to be. USA look firm favourites over a beleaguered Ireland, languishing at the bottom of the table after a thrashing by India and a shock loss against Canada.

The two nations squared off against each other at the same venue in December 2021 and shared the honours one all in a 2 match T20I series. USA sent shockwaves with a 26 run win over full members Ireland more than 2 years back, the fact that they now start as favourites is a sporting fairytale that has engripped the cricketing world.