BRISTOL: Sri Lanka’s World Cup game against Bangladesh was called off on Tuesday without a ball being bowled as a record third match in the tournament was abandoned due to rain.

Heavy overnight and early morning rain dashed hopes of a scheduled start of play at 10:30am (0930 GMT) as covers remained on the pitch and square at the County Ground in Bristol.

As many as three pitch inspections had to be called off at different stages, before the game was eventually abandoned at 1:57pm local time.

Less than eight overs were bowled before West Indies and South Africa shared a point each in a washed out game at Southampton on Monday.

The umpires’ decision left tournament organisers with the unwanted record for the most number of abandoned games at a World Cup, surpassing the two each at the 1992 tournament in Australia and New Zealand and the 2003 edition in southern Africa.

It was the second successive World Cup match at Bristol that had fallen victim to bad weather, with Sri Lanka’s group game against Pakistan at southwest county Gloucestershire’s headquarters on Friday another no-result washout that did not witness a single delivery.

Sri Lanka now have four points in four games, while Bangladesh remain in the bottom half of the standings with three points.

Rain is also forecast for Wednesday’s match between Australia and Pakistan at Taunton, and also on Thursday at Trent Bridge, when India take on New Zealand.

No reserve days have been scheduled for the 10-team round-robin stage, despite the well-known risks of rain during a British summer.

Asked whether there should be reserve days in the league phase, Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes, a former England wicket-keeper, said: “Yes, I would [have them]. I know logistically it would have caused problems. But we can put a man on the moon, so if we have to travel a day later, so be it.”

Only one of three World Cup matches scheduled to take place in Bristol produced any play, defending champions Australia launching their title defence with a seven-wicket victory over outsiders Afghanistan.

STANDINGS

(Tabulated under played, won, lost, no-result, points, net run-rate):

New Zealand 3 3 0 0 6 +2.163

England 3 2 1 0 4 +1.307

India 2 2 0 0 4 +0.539

Australia 3 2 1 0 4 +0.483

Sri Lanka 4 1 1 2 4 -1.517

West Indies 3 1 1 1 3 +2.054

Bangladesh 4 1 2 1 3 -0.714

Pakistan 3 1 1 1 3 -2.412

South Africa 4 0 3 1 1 -0.952

Afghanistan 3 0 3 0 0 -1.493

Updated after abandonment of Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh match on Tuesday

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2019