A bizarre incident took place in King City, Ontario, just before the ICC World Cup League 2 match between Namibia and Scotland, as ground staff resorted to using fire in an effort to dry the damp pitch. Despite this drastic method, the match could not go ahead and was eventually called off.

Rain had already pushed back the scheduled start, prompting multiple pitch inspections throughout the day. The final cut-off time for a start was set at 9:02 PM. Not long after, Cricket Scotland posted images on X (formerly Twitter) showing ground staff using fire in an effort to make the surface playable. Despite their determination, conditions remained unsuitable, and the game was abandoned.

The two teams came into this match in contrasting form. Namibia had recently claimed a five-wicket victory over hosts Canada, while Scotland lost a high-scoring encounter against the Netherlands. Despite posting a formidable total of 369, the Scots were unable to defend it, as the Dutch chased it down with four balls left.

In terms of standings, the sides are far apart. Scotland, led by Matthew Cross, currently hold third place on the League 2 table, with 11 wins and 7 defeats from 21 games, alongside three no-results. Namibia, struggling in sixth place, have won only 8 of their 22 matches, losing 13. The United States top the table with 14 wins from 20 games.

Scotland are scheduled to face Canada on 31 August, while Namibia will take on the same opponent two days later, on 2 September. Although Namibia are one of the co-hosts of the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, their spot in the tournament is not yet secure. With neither team having featured in a 50-over World Cup in recent years — Namibia last played in 2003 and Scotland in 2015 — both will be desperate to improve their qualification chances in the matches ahead.