'Men on the moon so why no group-stage reserve days?'

BRISTOL: Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes said that if men could land on the moon, the World Cup could include reserve days for group matches after the Tigers’ fixture against Sri Lanka in Bristol was washed out completely on Tuesday.

The umpires’ decision left tournament chiefs with the unwanted record for the most number of abandoned games at a World Cup, surpassing the two each at the 1992 and 2003 editions. Although the International Cricket Council have scheduled reserve days for both semi-finals and the July 14 final at Lord’s, there are now concerns rain could have a major bearing on which sides qualify for the last four.

Former England wicket-keeper Rhodes, asked if he would have included reserve days in the 10-team round-robin phase, replied: “Yeah, I would.

“If you know the English weather, sadly, we’re going to get a lot of rain. “I know logistically, it would have been a big headache for the tournament organisers, and I know it would have been difficult,” he added of a World Cup that features 48 matches in 46 days.

“But we have got quite a lot of time in between games, and if we have got to travel a day later, then so be it,” said Rhodes, whose Bangladesh team next play the West Indies in Taunton on June 17. “We put men on the moon, so why can’t we have a reserve day, when actually this tournament is a long tournament?”