Weather had the final say as the crucial Group A match of the T20 World Cup between USA and Ireland was called off due to wet outfield and rain in Florida on Friday.
The match was unlikely to go ahead as a tropical disturbance had resulted in floods across the state of Florida. Lauderhill, where the stadium is situated, also received heavy downpour during the week. And even though the rain eased for 36 hours leading up to the match, the damage had been done as the outfield remained wet, rendering it unfit for play.
Despite a relatively clear morning, no play was possible on Friday. The umpires held two sets of inspection as the game was pushed back as far as possible in order to accommodate a five-overs-a-side contest. But later in the day, the rain came back to end any hopes of a match.
USA and Ireland both shared a point each. As a result, co-hosts USA qualified for the Super Eight stage with five points after four games along with India, who won three out of three games.
Babar Azam's Pakistan, therefore, were knocked out of the tournament well before their final group game against Ireland on Sunday.
Pakistan had their backs to the wall with two points after three games, which included a morale crushing Super Over defeat to USA and six-run loss to India in New York.
They needed a lot of results to go their way, which included Ireland defeating USA on Friday and them defeating the Irish on Sunday.
A washout was the last thing that they needed. Pakistan can now only reach a maximum of four points, pushing them out of the race.
Pakistan join New Zealand on the way out of the tournament. The Black Caps were knocked out of the showpiece event with two matches remaining in their Group C. Defeats to Afghanistan and hosts West Indies all but ended their hopes of progressing to the next round and after both the Afghans and Windies completed three wins each, Kane Williamson's team were eliminated from the race.
USA's qualification to the Super Eight stage carries huge significance. Not only have they shown that Associate nations can pose a serious threat in T20 tournaments, they also ensured their participation in the next T20 World Cup in 2026.
The path ahead for Pakistan, on the other hand, seems uncertain. A series of changes to the team management, structure and board has not helped as the team in green have slipped further after showing some signs of revival in the ODI World Cup last year. Azam vacated his position as the all-format captain after Pakistan failed to make the semi-finals, with Shaheen Afridi made the T20 leader.
But ahead of this year's T20 World Cup, there was another change of leadership in the Pakistan board and Azam returned as captain.
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Multitasking pays off for money goals
Tackling money goals one at a time cost financial literacy expert Barbara O'Neill at least $1 million.
That's how much Ms O'Neill, a distinguished professor at Rutgers University in the US, figures she lost by starting saving for retirement only after she had created an emergency fund, bought a car with cash and purchased a home.
"I tell students that eventually, 30 years later, I hit the million-dollar mark, but I could've had $2 million," Ms O'Neill says.
Too often, financial experts say, people want to attack their money goals one at a time: "As soon as I pay off my credit card debt, then I'll start saving for a home," or, "As soon as I pay off my student loan debt, then I'll start saving for retirement"."
People do not realise how costly the words "as soon as" can be. Paying off debt is a worthy goal, but it should not come at the expense of other goals, particularly saving for retirement. The sooner money is contributed, the longer it can benefit from compounded returns. Compounded returns are when your investment gains earn their own gains, which can dramatically increase your balances over time.
"By putting off saving for the future, you are really inhibiting yourself from benefiting from that wonderful magic," says Kimberly Zimmerman Rand , an accredited financial counsellor and principal at Dragonfly Financial Solutions in Boston. "If you can start saving today ... you are going to have a lot more five years from now than if you decide to pay off debt for three years and start saving in year four."
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
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Company%20profile
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The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
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THURSDAY FIXTURES
4.15pm: Italy v Spain (Group A)
5.30pm: Egypt v Mexico (Group B)
6.45pm: UAE v Japan (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
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