The United States of America (USA), co-hosts of the ongoing T20 World Cup, will square off against Ireland, hoping to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the tournament. With India already through to the Super 8 phase from Group A, USA can join them with a win against the Irish. Pakistan, who are also in Group A, will be closely monitoring Friday’s game in Fort Lauderhale, rooting for an Irish win. Pakistan also face Ireland on Sunday, but that game will have zero relevance if USA get the two points on Friday.

However, Fort Lauderdale has witnessed heavy rain and flooding over the past few days, with the governor of Florida declaring a “state of emergency” on Wednesday.

As far as Friday’s weather forecast is concerned, Fort Lauderdale and other cities in the state of Florida are expected to remain under cloud cover.

According to Accuweather, there’s about 98 per cent chance of rain at Central Broward Reginal Park on Friday. During the match hours, however, the probability of rain remains at 74 per cent. The city will also witness some thunderstorms during the course of the day.

The city has also been put under ‘Red Alert’, which means that the weather conditions are likely to worsen.

In fact, the city is likely to remain under cloud cover till Thursday, June 20. So, in all likelyhood, all the remaining matches in Fort Lauderdale are likely to be affected by rain.

What happens if the USA vs Ireland T20 World Cup match gets washed out?

In case the match gets washed out, both teams will get a point each and in that case, USA will join India in the Super 8, with Pakistan heading back home. USA have won two of their three games – against Pakistan and Canada – displaying discipline, sharpness and skills.

Though India beat them comprehensively in the end, USA put up a strong fight. Shivam Dube and Suryakumar Yadav held their composure to see off the game for the Men in Blue.

USA Captain Monank Patel, Nitish Kumar, Saurabh Nethralvakar and many other stars have left their mark on the field with some eye-catching performances.

India continue to lead Group A with six points from three games (NRR +1.137). The Rohit Sharma-led side is assured of a Super 8 berth. USA are still second with four points from three games but their NRR has reduced to +0.127. The only positive for Pakistan is that their NRR is now better that USA’s.