Rain washes out World Cup clash to slow Ireland momentum
"Very disappointing. We played some really good cricket the other night and were looking forward to this fixture against a team we know really well," said Balbirnie.
Published: 28th October 2022 12:53 PM | Last Updated: 28th October 2022 12:53 PM | A+A A-
Ireland's captain Andrew Balbirnie, left, and Afghanistan's captain, Mohammad Nabi walk from the field after their match was abandoned due to rain at the T20 World Cup cricket in Melbourne | AP
MELBOURNE: Ireland skipper Andrew Balbirnie expressed frustration after rain denied his giant killers a crack at another famous win at the Twenty20 World Cup on Friday.
Showers are forecast for much of the day in Melbourne, also threatening the blockbuster evening showdown between Australia and England.
The Irish were pumped up after stunning England by five runs on Wednesday, but they were forced to share the points at the MCG with winless Afghanistan after rain washed out play without a ball being bowled.
"Very disappointing. We played some really good cricket the other night and were looking forward to this fixture against a team we know really well," said Balbirnie.
Group 1 clash between Afghanistan and Ireland has been abandoned due to persistent rain in Melbourne #T20WorldCup | #AFGvIRE pic.twitter.com/Kk4io0UP91
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 28, 2022
"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. If it could have gone our way we could have gone to Brisbane (to play Australia on Monday) with a lot of hopes of going into the next round," he added.
Ireland had formed against the Afghans, winning a five-match T20 series 3-2 earlier this year. Both teams receive one point so Ireland moves to second in the Group 1 table.
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They sit alongside table-toppers New Zealand, who face Sri Lanka in Sydney on Saturday, on three points.
Afghanistan are bottom of the group on two points and skipper Mohammad Nabi was equally disappointed -- it was their second washout of the tournament.
The toss has been delayed at the MCG ahead of the Super 12 clash between Afghanistan and Ireland.#T20WorldCup | #AFGvIRE pic.twitter.com/DV7vXtj36S
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) October 28, 2022
"The preparation was really good, we learned a lot from our first game against England and worked on our particular mistakes," he said.
"We were fully ready... the plan was to put a score on the board and bring the spinners into the game during the chase."
They next face Sri Lanka in Brisbane on Tuesday.
