Australia has been excluded from the T20 World Cup.
After disappointing defeats to Zimbabwe and then Sri Lanka, Australia needed Ireland to beat Zimbabwe on Tuesday to keep their Super 8 hopes alive.
Instead, the clash came to nothing and Australia’s title hopes ended as it was confirmed that Zimbabwe would advance alongside Sri Lanka.
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Not a single ball was bowled in Kandy and the match was called off at 5:30 local time.
Had Ireland won, Australia would have expected Sri Lanka to beat Zimbabwe on Thursday and then beat Oman.
Ireland and Oman, along with Australia, were excluded from Group B.
This is only the second time in the history of the T20 World Cup that Australia have failed to advance to the Super 8s, the other time being 17 years ago in 2009.
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It will also be the third consecutive time Australia has failed to advance to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.
“The team is devastated,” captain Mitch Marsh said after the team traveled to Sri Lanka on Tuesday morning.
“We’re in God’s lap right now. Given the shape of it, there’s a lot of emotion in the room right now. We’re not at our best yet.”
Australia had a terrible run leading up to the tournament.
The team lost top pace bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood to injury, and captain Mitchell Marsh missed the first two matches after suffering a testicular hemorrhage after being hit in the groin during training.
Steve Smith, on the other hand, was left out despite being a top performer in the Big Bash League and having expertise in playing against spin bowling.
He flew on as cover last week and was officially added to the Australian squad at the weekend.
But then he was absent from Monday’s must-win match against Sri Lanka, where Australia’s mid-order collapsed in an eight-wicket defeat.
Speaking on SEN radio after the defeat to Sri Lanka, Mark Waugh said Australia’s participation in the T20 World Cup was “doomed from the start” and Smith’s omission was “the most baffling” in recent memory.
“I think the whole season was doomed from the start with selection issues and injuries,” Waugh said.
“I don’t think we prepared very well. Even though we were in a pretty weak group, everything probably played out the way I thought it would.
“I know you can’t please everyone and sometimes there are tough decisions you don’t know which way it will go, but for me Steve Smith not being selected was the most puzzling non-selection I can remember for a long time.”