The USA-Bangladesh T20 World Cup warm-up match was cancelled after severe storms in Texas. (USA Cricket)Severe tornadoes and thunderstorms that have wreaked havoc in central and southern US over the last few weeks made their presence felt at the ICC T20 World Cup when an official warm-up match between the United States and Bangladesh was cancelled at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas on Tuesday.
While Canada and Nepal had featured in the first warm-up game at the venue on Monday, harsh weather conditions including a severe storm stalled proceedings on Tuesday morning. Cricket journalist Peter Della Penna reported that a thunderstorm with wind speeds over 80 miles per hour and flash flood warnings had swept through the stadium, due to host the tournament opener on June 1.
A temporary giant screen, set up at the venue for replays and match-related graphics, was also destroyed by the severe storms.
According to an Associated Press report, the death toll in the storms had risen to 22 by Monday, bringing a large share of the population to a standstill in the country. “The destructive storms caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky and were just north of an oppressive, early season heat wave setting records from south Texas to Florida.”
Forecasters have also predicted that the storms could move towards the East Coast later on Tuesday, issuing an officia tornado watch between the states of North Carolina and Maryland. The region falls between New York and Florida where other T20 World Cup matches are scheduled to take place.
Storms in central US had also wreaked havoc recently during the bilateral T20I series between United States and Bangladesh last week. The start of the series on May 21 was under threat in Houston after a major storm damaged infrastructure at the Prairie View Cricket Complex. The hosts eventually pulled off a historic 2-1 win over Bangladesh in the series.
Meanwhile, Texas is due to host two more warmups – Nepal v United States and the Netherlands v Canada – on Thursday and Friday.
Placed in Group A, co-hosts United States and Canada will feature in the opening match of the maiden 20-team World Cup at the same venue on June 1 (June 2 in India).
June 1: United States v Canada, Dallas – 06:00 AM IST (June 2) (07:30 PM Local)
June 4: Netherlands v Nepal, Dallas; 09:00 PM IST (10:30 AM local)
June 6: United States v Pakistan, Dallas – 09:00 PM IST (10:30 AM Local)
June 7: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Dallas; 06:00 AM IST (07:30 PM local)
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