Rain could yet become as significant an influence as Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar, Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara at the cricket World Cup.
Australia almost became the latest victims of South Africa's recent bad weather on Thursday.
Ricky Ponting's team only escaped with all four points from Potchefstroom thanks to a police helicopter -- used to help blow-dry the pitch -- and their co-operative opponents.
The Dutch amateurs could have justifiably argued the soggy surface was not fit for cricket but instead voted unanimously to play, determined to enjoy their big day against the world champions.
One match, however -- West Indies versus Bangladesh -- has already been rained off, depriving Carl Hooper's side of two certain points against weaker opponents.
Two other games, including the pivotal Group B encounter between New Zealand and South Africa, have also been affected by downpours, leading to revised run chases.
With no time to replay first-round matches, the weather could have a big influence on team prospects right up to the semifinals, according to Australia coach John Buchanan.
"Teams going through to the Super Sixes would like to take a maximum of 12 points," Buchanan said. "In our situation, assuming we qualify, it [a rained-off game] potentially brings our points back closer to the other teams.
"Therefore it's more bunched and alters the dynamics of the whole Super Six section."
Teams take four points from each victory against fellow qualifiers into the Super Six second phase, as well as one point for each win against eliminated sides.
Buchanan added that some teams hoping to qualify for the second round "might not even get there" because of bad weather, adding, "If they do get there it means it's life on the edge and they just can't afford to lose another game."
The West Indian wash-out at Benoni on Tuesday had already had a significant effect on South African chances of staying in the tournament.
Shaun Pollock's team lost two of their first three games, leaving them reliant on other results to avoid an early exit.
But the West Indies' misfortune means they will now almost certainly qualify just by winning their last three matches, whatever other results. Pollock said the rain had given his team "a lifeline."
Bad weather has had a huge effect on the cricket World Cup before.
In 1992 it played a large part in deciding both finalists.
Pakistan, the eventual champions, lost three first-round matches but were saved by the rain against England after being bowled out for 74. Had they lost that game, they would have been eliminated at the first hurdle.
South Africa, meanwhile, well-placed in its semifinal against England, was robbed of a chance of victory as rain cut short the match.
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
Former Formosa Dreamers player Ilkan Karaman was killed in a traffic accident in Datca, Turkey, Turkish media reported yesterday. He was 34. The former Turkish national team player was reportedly hit by a car, the driver of which was allegedly drunk, while he was standing on a sidewalk, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported. Karaman and his friends were on their way to the beach town of Dalaman to go scuba diving when they stopped at a gas station to buy gasoline, it reported. Karaman was hit by the car while waiting on a sidewalk as his friends were buying gasoline, it
ANKLE PROBLEM: Taiwan’s Ye Hong-wei and Lee Chia-hsin had a disappointing end to their tournament after an injury forced them out of their mixed doubles semi-final Taiwanese badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying on Friday was knocked out in the women’s singles quarter-finals at her last Taipei Open. The world No. 3 lost 21-18, 16-21, 22-24 to Putri Kusuma Wardani of Indonesia in a match that stretched 68 minutes at the Taipei Arena. Despite her higher ranking, Tai said she was not too sad about the loss, given her struggle with a lingering knee injury. “Wins and losses are just part of the game. Actually, I think I’m going to lose every single match considering my condition now,” said the five-time champion of the Super 300 event, who has announced plans
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
RSS