Sydney: After bowing out of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, England skipper Heather Knight on Thursday said that it is frustrating to crash out of the tournament due to rain.
The semi-final clash between India and England was called off without a single ball being bowled, and there were no reserve days in place. India entered the finals as the side topped their group in the initial stages.
“Really frustrating. Not how we wanted the World Cup to finish for us. No reserve day, no chance of getting play, and ultimately that loss against South Africa cost us. Our aim was to get to the semifinals, which we eventually did. It’s all very English isn’t it, talking about the weather and getting knocked out,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted Knight as saying.
England finished their group at the second spot after losing their first match against South Africa in the tournament. Knight joked that going ahead, the team would look to win their first match of the competition.
“Lessons are to win the first game I guess. It’s become a trend, not to start well in tournaments, and that has cost us. Natalie Sciver’s been a real standout. Moving myself and her to number 3 and 4 has been good. Thank you,” Knight said.
As per the ICC rules, both innings needed to have at least five overs to constitute a match. However, in ICC tournaments, the minimum over-limit goes to 10 overs per side. So if rain forces the match to be less than 10 overs per innings, the match is deemed as ‘abandoned’.
Later in the day, South Africa and Australia will take on each other in the second semi-final, and if it gets washed out as well, the Proteas will make it to the finals as they topped Group B.