Did it rain in Florida, known as the Sunshine State, for the USA to oust Pakistan?

By K.R. Nayar
From Lauderhill, Florida

Florida is called the Sunshine State, but it has been pouring since our arrival, with the sun making only guest appearances like some stars in a movie. It seems like the heavy rain was just to ensure the USA qualifies for the Super Eight without having to play Ireland.

 

By 2 PM, it was announced that the USA had reached the Super Eight due to washout of the match between the USA and Ireland. A few joked about the situation. They said it would have more appropriate to say it was a ‘wash- in’ for the USA rather than saying "washout helps USA.”

 

I heard someone remark that the Pakistan players might be on the terrace of their hotel, watching the clouds and hoping they would move away from the ground so that the match happens and Ireland could beat the USA. When someone mentioned it was unfortunate that it rained in Florida, another quipped that the rains came to Florida to support their own country and not Pakistan.

 

Umpires walk back after inspection 

Pakistan’s early exit was the talk in Florida. A few went to the extent of saying they had only qualified to fly to Karachi airport. The story about Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and pacer Shaheen Afridi not on talking terms was also discussed. One suggestion was that both of them should be made to sit next to each other on their return flight, with the team manager next to them ensuring they keep talking all the way!

 

The boarding that says Lauderhill is the cricket capital of the USA

In most countries where the World Cup has been held, the host city welcomes fans with huge hoardings. From the moment you land in Florida, you know you've arrived in a city where the most important event is the World Cup. In Nassau, except for a few small posters, there weren’t any big ones. So it was good to see a few banner flags on the streets of Florida announcing the event.

New Zealand player Tim Southee, after being dismissed in the match against the West Indies in Trinidad on Wednesday, smashed a hand sanitizer on his way to the dressing room. He was reprimanded by the ICC for that act. Of all the items, choosing a sanitizer that saved many lives during the Covid pandemic, seemed strange. People remarked that he should have been fined and asked to install hand sanitizers at various entrances of the stadium.

 

By the way, I spotted an interestingly named hand sanitizer in a in a supermarket here called Florida Cracker. It was orange-scented, and I was attracted to its name as everyone is wishing for a cracker of a match here too.

 

Baseball bat shaped coat hanger 

Baseball is known to the most popular sport in the USA. Even the coat hanger in the house where I stay is shaped like a baseball. At the India vs Canada pre-match press conference, T Dilip, the Indian team fielding coach, mentioned that some of the players and coaching staff had gone to the Yankee Stadium to watch a baseball match.

According to him, players can take important lessons from watching diverse sports. Maybe, he should have a chat with the Australian cricket legend Ian Chappell during the upcoming India tour to Australia. Chappell played baseball, winning the All Australian selection in 1964 and 1966 as a catcher.