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Hello and welcome to England’s next assignment in a challenging World Cup. Today they may have to take on two opponents at once: Namibia and the rain.
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The latest forecast I’ve seen for Antigua’s airport, about three miles from the ground as the crow flies, is for “thundery showers and a gentle breeze”. If that leads to a no-result, England will crash out of the tournament. They’ll be stranded on four points, still one behind Scotland, who will sail through to the Super Eights before they even meet Australia tomorrow.
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The good news is that at least we won’t all be spending the rest of the day banging on about net run rate. The bad news is that we may well be droning on about Duckworth-Lewis-Stern instead.
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Namibia are already out, even though they registered the first win in this group by beating Oman in a Super Over. For them, it’s a chance to meet England for the first time in T20. The only previous meeting between the two sides was a 50-over game in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, when England won but Namibia emerged with their heads held high. Andrew Flintoff, now a member of England’s coaching team, played in that match, as did Jimmy Anderson.
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Play starts, in theory, at 6pm BST (1pm in Antigua), so I hope to be back soon after 5.30pm BST with news of the toss and teams.
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Important Events
Our guy in Antigua says there’s a lot of blue sky
To get the scoop from Viv, I emailed The Guardian’s cricket reporter Ali Martin. “The cover is coming out as I write,” he replied. Ah, damn. “It feels more like a rainy day than the end of something… there’s lots of blue sky among the grey clouds.” Ah, thank goodness.
At least this game won’t be played in Florida.
The India vs Canada match has been called off, marking the third consecutive cancellation of a three-match series in Lauderhill, Florida.
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) June 15, 2024
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The India vs Canada match has been called off, marking the third consecutive cancellation out of three matches played in Lauderhill, Florida.
— Lawrence Booth (@BoothCricket) June 15, 2024
preamble
Hello and welcome to England’s next mission in a tough World Cup. Today, England may have to face two enemies at once: Namibia and the rain.
The latest weather forecast I saw Antigua airport is about three miles from the ground in a crowed line and “thunderstorms and light breezes” are expected. A lack of results would see England exit the tournament. England remain stuck on four points, one behind Scotland, who will progress to the Super Eights before facing Australia tomorrow.
The good news is that at least we won’t all spend the rest of our days harping on about net run rate. The bad news is that we might end up talking endlessly about Duckworth-Lewis-Stern instead.
Namibia are already eliminated despite beating Oman in a Super Over to record their first win in the group stage, and now they have a chance to face England in a T20 match for the first time. The only previous meeting The last time the two teams faced off was in a 50-over match at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, where England won but Namibia triumphed in style. Andrew Flintoff, now part of the England coaching team, played in that match, as did Jimmy Anderson.
The match theoretically kicks off at 6pm BST (1pm Antigua time), so we’ll be back with the toss result and team news just after 5.30pm BST.
