England and Pakistan’s T20 World Cup preparations were again dented by bad weather as the third international in Cardiff on Tuesday was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

The woeful scenes in the Welsh capital followed another complete washout in the first of this four-match T20I series at Headingley.

England remain 1-0 up with one to play at The Oval on Thursday after a 23-run win in at Edgbaston but this latest abandonment came just a week before they begin their T20 World Cup title defence against Scotland in Barbados on 4 June.

Rain in Cardiff on Tuesday started to fall steadily an hour before the scheduled start, with a capacity 15,600 crowd expected at Sophia Gardens.

But the bad weather delayed the toss, with the pitch and square at Sophia Gardens remaining fully covered.

And minutes after a inspection, the umpires abandoned the match due to a saturated outfield and persistent rain.

The teams will now travel to London for Thursday’s finale at The Oval in the hope of one last chance for competitive action ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan, the 2009 T20 World Cup winners, start this year’s tournament against co-hosts the USA in Dallas on 6 June.

© Agence France-Presse

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