Fort Lauderdale has declared a state of emergency due to the life-threatening flash floods in Florida, resulting in the grounding of hundreds of flights to and from South Florida airports. Among those affected are the Sri Lankan cricket team, currently participating in the T20 World Cup, who find themselves stranded in the city. Fort Lauderdale is one of the three venues in the USA slated to host T20 World Cup matches, including three crucial games involving India, Pakistan, and the USA. Unfortunately, the first game in the city between Sri Lanka and Nepal was also canceled due to heavy rain in and around the stadium.
"Preliminary reports indicate that the rainfall and flooding has affected and may continue to impact the operational capability of critical infrastructure, including major interstates, state and county roadways, airports, schools, and other critical infrastructure throughout these counties," Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, said in the declaration.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis has declared a state of emergency.
The Sri Lankan team was scheduled to depart from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean islands on Wednesday, but due to heavy rain and flooding, their departure has been delayed.
Sri Lanka is set to face Netherlands at St Lucia in their final group game on Monday, June 17.
Meanwhile, the Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale is gearing up to host crucial matches this week, as Pakistan and USA vie for a spot in the next round from Group A.
USA will take on Ireland on Friday, while Pakistan will face the same opponents on Sunday. If USA defeats Ireland or the match is affected by rain, they will advance to the Super 8 along with India as the second team from Group A. In the event of a rainout, both USA and Ireland will earn one point each, putting USA at five points and limiting Pakistan to a maximum of four points.
This renders Pakistan's Sunday game irrelevant, as they will be eliminated if the USA vs Ireland match in Florida is abandoned due to rain. However, if USA loses to Ireland, Pakistan will have the opportunity to control their fate when they face the Irish on Sunday.
India currently leads Group A with six points from three games (NRR +1.137), securing a spot in the Super 8. USA remains in second place with four points from three games, but their NRR has decreased to +0.127. This development is advantageous for Pakistan, as their NRR now surpasses that of USA.
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