The washout of Friday’s double-header — Ireland vs Afghanistan and Australia vs England — at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has thrown open Group 1 of the T20 World Cup.

England and Australia both have 3 points from three matches but the Englishmen have a better net run-rate — 0.239 — than the Aussies (-1.555). But while Australia’s remaining two matches are against Ireland and Afghanistan where they can significantly improve their net runrate, England face tough challenges in their last two games, which are against New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

New Zealand, who top the group with a net run-rate of 4.450, can afford to lose to England and still qualify if they can beat Sri Lanka and Ireland in their other two games.

But Ireland (3 points), Afghanistan (2 points) and Sri Lanka (2 points) too are still firmly in the running for the knock-outs.

“Everyone was here to play, everyone was ready to go,” Australia captain Aaron Finch said. “And there was a great turnout. It was disappointing not to get on but just the amount of rain Melbourne and the east coast of Australia has had over the last couple of weeks, has been amazing.”

Jos Buttler accepted that they are at the mercy of the weather. Following the loss to Ireland in a rain-interrupted match, England, one of the tournament favourites, find themselves in a tight corner where their margin for error has shrunk considerably.

“I’m no weather expert on Australia at this time of year but we all want to play full games of cricket. Naturally, we play a sport which is open-air, and the elements are a huge part of our game. They affect the surfaces we play on, they affect conditions and it’s an intriguing part of what makes our sport unique. Unfortunately, it can be affected by the weather. You don’t want to be involved in those games but it can happen,” the England captain said.

“We know, to a certain degree, we have our destiny in our own hands. We have some great players who are determined to right some wrongs from the other night (the loss to Ireland).”

Road to semis: Twists & turns

■ England must now beat New Zealand in Brisbane on Tuesday and Sri Lanka next Saturday to have a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals. Though England have a better net run-rate (0.239), the likelihood that teams may need to be separated on net run-rate is not hard to imagine since three teams may end up on 7 points.

■ Australia will need big wins against the unfancied Ireland and Afghanistan to help enhance their net run-rate (-1.555), which was battered by the heavy loss to New Zealand. But the hosts could be knocked out if England defeat both New Zealand and Sri Lanka by sufficient margins to keep their net run rate above Australia’s.