India are set to face Pakistan in a much anticipated match at the 2022 T20 World Cup but there is a danger of rain pouring water all over the occasion.
India and Pakistan are set to start off their T20 World Cup campaign with a blockbuster match against each other on Sunday. The traditional rivals facing each other at the start of a major multi-team tournament amidst hype and fanfare has become a staple for any such event over the years and it is set to be a similar scene next week with the colossal Melbourne Cricket Ground sold out for the fixture. However, it does look like the weather could pour water all over the occasion.
The tournament itself starts on Saturday with defending champions and hosts Australia facing England. Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology forecasting an 80 percent chance of any rain with 1 to 3mm for that day. It is even worse for Sunday. “Cloudy. Very high (95 percent) chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Winds southerly 15 to 25 km/h turning southeasterly during the evening,” says the the agency’s website.
The match starts at 7pm local time, which is 1.30pm IST. A minimum of five overs per side need to be possible for a match to take place and there are no reserve days for the group stage, a facility available only for the semi-finals and the finals.
While matches between the two teams went without any rain interruptions in the 2021 T20 World Cup and the Asia Cup, 10 overs were lost when the two teams met each other in the 2019 World Cup. India had scored 336/5 thanks to Rohit Sharma’s masterful 140 off 113 balls. Pakistan were 166/6 in 35 overs when rain brought the proceedings to a halt. It was only half an hour later and Pakistan’s target was reduced to 302 to be chased down in 40 overs. They were restricted to 212/6, giving India an 89-run win.
India’s semi-final match against New Zealand was also affected by rain and this time, the reserve day was availed. New Zealand were on 211/5 in 46.1 overs when the umpires led the players off the field at the Old Trafford. Nearly four and a half hours later, it had been announced that the match would resume on the next day. There was hardly any interruptions on the reserve day as New Zealand won by 18 runs.
