The highly anticipated Men's T20 World Cup Group 1 match between Australia and England on Friday was cancelled due to rain before a ball was ever bowled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
A Group 1 match between Ireland and Afghanistan was also called off earlier in the day due to rain without a ball being bowled. England and Australia will now split the points from Friday's washout, just like Afghanistan and Ireland did.
The clash's toss, which was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Melbourne time, was postponed because of an inspection at 7.30 p.m. local time. As the covers were removed, there was a glimmer of hope among the crowd that the match would be cut short.
However, because the outfield was obviously wet and player safety was a top issue, umpires Chris Brown, Joel Wilson, and Aleem Dar chose to conduct another inspection at 8:15 p.m. A third inspection was planned later because the situation hadn't changed appreciably.
But rain returned barely 20 minutes before the planned inspection, which ultimately forced the cancellation of the game as captains Aaron Finch and Jos Buttler shook hands. After receiving one point each, Australia and England now share the lead with second-placed Ireland and table-toppers New Zealand in Group 1 with three points.
"The outfield was the wettest I've ever seen it, completely saturated. The inner circle and the run-ups, in my opinion, were problematic. It all boils down to player security. It was going to be a huge problem if you tried to sprint out there "Finch later added.
On Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Group 1's second game will be played between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, with the victor of the match potentially leading the group.
The Gabba in Brisbane will host Australia vs. Ireland on Monday and England vs. New Zealand on Tuesday for the following round of matches.