The 2024 T20 World Cup is beginning to hot up, as the tournament enters the Super Eights stage on Wednesday, June 19. However, the first fixture of the round could be derailed, as the threat of rain looms large.
Semi-final favourites South Africa and tournament first-timers USA are set to meet at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua in what should be a hard-fought game. But the signs are not promising a day out from the match, as rain lashes the Caribbean island. According to AccuWeather, the chances of rain remain fairly high throughout Tuesday, at around 40-50 per cent. Closer to the evening, this increases to nearly 65 per cent.
Rain on the eve of the match will cause issues at the ground, as the drainage is not overly efficient and the entire outfield may not be covered. Overnight rain could also affect the start of the match, which is scheduled for 10:30am local time on Wednesday. The weather forecast predicts a 25 per cent chance of rain on Wednesday morning, meaning there is a not-insignificant chance of precipitation during the game as well.
Antigua has hosted three complete matches at this T20 World Cup; Oman vs Scotland, Namibia vs Australia and Oman vs England. The previous game at this venue was Namibia vs England, which was affected by rain and reduced to a match of 11 overs per side. Apart from the USA-South Africa game, the venue is scheduled to host Australia-Bangladesh, Bangladesh-India and West Indies-South Africa in the Super Eights stage.
What happens if USA vs South Africa is abandoned due to rain?
If no play is possible at all, both sides will receive one point each. As heavy favourites for the match, South Africa will not want this to happen.
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