As the rain has played a major role in disrupting the 2024 T20 World Cup, especially in Florida, where all three scheduled matches have been washed out, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar expressed his frustration over the situation, criticising the ICC. He urged the organisers to ensure complete ground coverage for ICC tournaments and suggested not awarding hosting rights to venues lacking this facility.
Gavaskar told Star Sports, “My request to the ICC is to ensure there is cover for the entire ground if there is an ICC match. If the venue doesn’t have the covers, don’t give it to that venue. Give it to a ground that has got all the covers.”
“It’s something that the ICC needs to do. All the ground organisations have to have covers that cover the entire ground. This business of covering only the square everybody has got money now. You can’t give the excuse that you don’t have money for covers. However, good your ground drainage system is, you have covers, the grounds will dry faster,” Gavaskar said.
He highlighted the inconvenience faced by fans travelling long distances, particularly in the U.S., where opportunities to see top-class players are rare.
The latest cancellation took place on Saturday when the final Group A game between India and Canada at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill was called off without any play due to a soggy outfield. The previous day, Pakistan’s tournament came to an end after the USA vs. Ireland match was also abandoned, eliminating the 2009 champions from the competition.
Despite being under flood alert due to continuous rain, Florida saw no rainfall on Saturday morning, raising hopes for some playtime before India travelled to the West Indies for the Super Eight round. However, overnight rain left the outfield too wet, and the match was eventually abandoned after two inspections by match officials.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan echoed Gavaskar’s sentiments. After rain delayed England’s crucial match against Namibia in Antigua for nearly three hours, Vaughan tweeted about the need for better ground covers. England eventually won by 41 runs via the DLS method, keeping their Super Eight hopes alive.