Ireland’s one-day international match against the West Indies was abandoned without a ball bowled because of a wet outfield and then further rain in Belfast.
The one-off match was set to be Ireland’s first against a Test-playing nation since they were granted full member status by the International Cricket Council in June.
The return of big-hitting Windies opener Chris Gayle will therefore be further delayed until the start of the limited-overs campaign against England. He has been absent from ODIs during a breakdown in relations between some of the players and their employers.
Victory for the Windies at Stormont would have kept them on schedule for an outside shot at automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup in England.
The ICC confirmed after the abandonment that the Windies must beat England 5-0 - or 4-0, including a no-result or tie — if they are to book their direct involvement in 2019’s global tournament.
Otherwise, the two-time World Cup winners must battle through a qualifying tournament.
