USA vs IRE: Groundstaff washes hands on wet outfield

NEW DELHI: In a bizarre turn of events, a groundstaff member was seen washing hands near the pitch and behind umpires while wet outfield delayed the United States vs Ireland T20 World Cup game in Florida on Friday.
The crucial Group A match between co-hosts and Ireland was delayed as groundstaff battled to remove standing water in the outfield.
The toss of the US vs Ireland game which was supposed to happen at 7:30 pm IST was initially delayed by 30 minutes but after the inspection at 8 pm IST, the unsatisfied umpires and match officials decided to further delay the game by an hour.
During the initial inspection, a groundstaff member was spotted washing hands that raised a few eyebrows on social media.
If the Group A game is abandoned, the USA will qualify for the Super Eights stage, along with group leader India, and Pakistan and Ireland will be eliminated along with Canada.
In their third inspection at 9 pm IST, the umpires decided to wait for another hour as the groundstaff continued to toil hard to get the outfield ready.
In another rare instance, a special machine was seen being used by the groundstaff to dry up the ground fast.
A washout today will also give USA direct entry to the 2026 T20 World Cup and Pakistan will have to play qualifiers.