CARDIFF, United Kingdom: Bad weather dented England and Pakistan’s Twenty20 World Cup preparations again on Tuesday as the third international in Cardiff was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The sad scenes in the Welsh capital followed another complete wipeout in the first of the four-match T20 series at Headingley.
England remain 1-0 up when they play at The Oval on Thursday after 23-run win at Edgbaston, but this latest abandonment comes just a week before they open their World T20 title defence against Scotland on June 4 in Barbados.
Rain began to fall steadily in Cardiff on Tuesday an hour before the scheduled 17:30 GMT kick-off, with a capacity of 15,600 expected at the Sophia Gardens.
However, bad weather delayed the toss as the pitch and square at Sophia Gardens remained fully covered.
And minutes after the inspection at 1910 GMT, the umpires called off the match due to a saturated outfield and persistent rain.
Pakistan and England teams will now travel to London for Thursday’s finale at The Oval in the hope of one last chance for competitive action just ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan, winners of the 2009 T20 World Cup, will open this year’s tournament against co-hosts United States in Dallas on June 6.
