Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has questioned the organisers after incessant showers cast a shadow on the much-anticipated T20 World Cup clash between Australia and England as the start was delayed due to wet outfield.
The first match of the Friday double-header at the Melbourne Cricket Ground between Ireland and Afghanistan earlier in the day was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The MCG wore a drenched look with the pitch remaining under wraps, as the players were forced to play a waiting game out on sidelines.
Vaughan took to social media to question why the stadium was not closed for the past two days.
"Rainy season in Australia .. Stadium in Melbourne with roof on ..!!!!! Wouldn’t it have been sensible to use it ???" Vaughn tweeted.
Can I also ask why in Sri Lanka where they get huge thunder storms they cover all the ground & get play back on quickly… Why hasn’t the MCG been totally covered for the last 2 days ?????"
The cut-off time for the match to happen in a minimum five-overs-a-side is 9.46pm.
With both teams suffering a reversal each, it's a virtual knockout for the two Ashes rivals.
Having opened their campaign with a shocking 89-run loss to their trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand, defending champions have bounced back to defeat Sri Lanka in their second Super 12 match.
England, who started off with a win over Afghanistan, were done in by rain and suffered a heartbreaking five-run loss to Ireland by Duckworth-Lewis Method in their previous match.
