Cricket / England
Frustration as England vs Ireland abandoned early after rain
Gloucestershire County Cricket Club has faced significant backlash following the early abandonment of England’s one-day international against Ireland at the Seat Unique Stadium.
At 3.21pm on Tuesday, after 40 minutes of heavy rainfall in Ashley Down, the umpires made the decision to abandon the game.
The call brought England’s hopes of scoring a record-breaking total to a sudden end after they had made an impressive 280 runs from 31 overs.
is needed now More than ever
https://twitter.com/englandcricket/status/1706973612505170192
While rain and the delays and abandonments that come with it have forever been a component of cricket, it was the somewhat farcical scenes both before and after the commencement of the deluge that have led to Gloucestershire coming under scrutiny.
With five hours of play left after the rain stopped and Bristol experiencing glorious sunshine for the remainder of the afternoon, it should have been possible for the game to commence following a short delay.
However, with no precautions being taken as heavy rain looked all but certain to arrive and the ground staff struggling to get the covers on once the downpur began, huge puddles began to form on the square, making any further play impossible.
These scenes evoked a furious response online and have led to many people questioning whether Gloucestershire even has the infrastructure required to host games at an international level.
Jack Cyster tweeted: “Absolute embarrassment from the ground staff. I bet they struggle putting their bed covers on at night never mind a cricket pitch, and to call it off this early is a disgrace!! Play at venues suitable for international cricket.”
Liam Gardner tweeted: “Embarrassing. Think that should be a end to international cricket at Bristol. Absolutely pathetic.”
Liam Dos added: “I live in Bristol and am season ticket holder at Glos, and I agree with this. In all my years of watching cricket, I’ve never seen such a poor handling of a weather delay.”
Remarkably, this is the fourth consecutive ODI held in Bristol that has ended without a result being recorded.
Tickets are now on sale for a men’s one-day international between England and Australia at the Seat Unique Stadium on September 29 2024.
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Speaking on the handling of the rain at Tuesday’s game, Gloucestershire chief executive, Will Brown, said: “It was hard conditions for them (the ground staff).
“You could see by how the covers were moving that it was pretty tough for them. It is one thing getting the covers on speedily, but in those conditions it is a different ball game altogether. They were certainly heavy and wet from this morning.
“The conditions last night were shocking. The covers were heavy and wet and they were trying to move them in tough conditions.”
Brown added that he felt cricket needed to find better ways to deal with disruptive weather: “I think the game needs to be thinking innovatively about how we get games on or prepare pitches and surfaces using different things to get cricket away.”
Zak Crawley, who has captained England throughout this three-game series, said that the sudden abandonment “caught everybody by surprise”.
“Anytime you’re gonna get rain this late in September, anywhere you’re playing I think you’re gonna be in a bit of trouble. So you just kind of take that punt and unfortunately, today it didn’t come off.”
Main photo: Marvin Rees
Read next:
- England beat Australia in Bristol to keep Ashes hopes alive
- James Bracey hits 224 not out in record Gloucestershire win
- New cricket exhibition opens at SS Great Britain
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