India’s superstar cricketers endured a 3,400km (2,170 miles) cross-country journey to play a Cricket World Cup warm-up only for the match to be abandoned without a ball being bowled on Tuesday. India were to face the Netherlands in Thiruvananthapuram, on the southern tip of India, but they were left kicking their heels due to torrential rain. On Saturday, their scheduled game against defending champions England up in the north-eastern city of Guwahati was also washed out. In total, the wet weather has so far forced three warm-up matches to be abandoned while three others have been rain-affected, leaving teams and players frustrated ahead of the tournament’s start on Thursday.
The Netherlands have also had two washouts, including Saturday’s match against Australia which ended in a no result when rain ended their chase in 14.2 overs.
That game was also played in Thiruvananthapuram, sparing the Dutch a fruitless trip to another venue.
However, the weather forecast for the rest of the week in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Dharamsala — venues for first three days of the tournament — is optimistic with sunshine instead of showers.
England will play New Zealand in the tournament opener at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Pakistan clash with the Netherlands in Hyderabad on Friday, while Afghanistan and Bangladesh play in Dharamsala on Saturday.
Meanwhile, explosive opener Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed seven sixes in a sublime maiden T20 century as India’s men opened their first Asian Games campaign with a 23-run defeat of gutsy Nepal.
Pakistan also reached the semi-finals, crushing Hong Kong by 68 runs with experienced all-rounder Khushdil Shah taking 3-13.
With superstars such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at home for the one-day World Cup beginning on Thursday, India, the world’s top-ranked Twenty20 team, have a second-string squad in Hangzhou.
But it is still formidable, packed with promising youngsters who have excelled in the Indian Premier League and a host of players with international experience.
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