The U.S. cricket team qualified for the second round in its ICC Men’s T20 World Cup debut, ensuring Canada, Pakistan and Ireland go home early, when its last group game against Ireland was washed out Friday.
Rain meant the match was abandoned without a ball bowled, earning the U.S. a single point that increased its total to five behind unbeaten India’s six in Group A. Only the top two in each of the 20-country tournament’s four groups advance to the Super-8 stage,
Canada and Pakistan, both on two points with one game remaining, cannot catch the U.S., which in moving on has also automatically qualified for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The U.S. qualified for this T20 World Cup only as a co-host with the West Indies, but it has used home advantage to make a stunning first impression in its debut global cricket tournament.
The U.S. beat Canada in Texas before stunning Pakistan on Long Island in the first week. Tying Pakistan in regular overs then beating it in a Super Over was one of the greatest upsets in the tournament’s history.
The Americans were then thumped by unbeaten India, one of the title favourites, as expected on Wednesday but the hosts’ progression without being able to play on Friday was still well deserved.
Canada’s final game Saturday against top-ranked India in Lauderhill is also under threat with rain in the forecast. The final Group A game is Pakistan-Ireland on Sunday in Lauderhill.
The 23rd-ranked Canadians (1-2) would have needed to upset India, radically improve its net run rate and hope that the U.S. and Pakistan both lose to Ireland to have any chance of advancing. Even then, that scenario would have left the Canadians and Irish tied on four points with run rate coming into play.
Friday’s washout makes it all moot. Now the Canadians, whose tournament debut already includes an upset win over Ireland, are just hoping to get Saturday’s game in.
For seventh-ranked Pakistan, missing out on the Super-8 is a disaster. Pakistan won the title in 2009 and reached two more finals, including at the last T20 World Cup in 2022.