ICC T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs PAK: High chances of rain playing spoilsport

India and Pakistan will get their ICC T20 World Cup 2022 campaign underway on Sunday in Melbourne. However, there are high chances of rain, as the tie could be affected, along with Australia's opener against New Zealand in Sydney on Saturday.

ICC T20 World Cup 2022, IND vs PAK, India vs Pakistan: High chances of rain playing spoilsport-ayh

Ayush Gupta

First Published Oct 19, 2022, 11:26 AM IST | Last Updated Oct 19, 2022, 11:26 AM IST

The cricketing world has yet again entered the Twenty20 (T20) mood, with the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup happening in Australia. As for Team India, it will be getting its campaign underway on Sunday against arch-rival Pakistan at the sold-out Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). However, chances of having a proper game are convincingly low due to the inclement weather forecast in the city. The nation is currently witnessing the La Niña weather across east and south-eastern regions, as quite a few of the matches in the coming days could be affected, including the Super 12 openers between Australia and New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Saturday.

According to Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, Sydney is expected to receive 80% of rainfall on Saturday, likely around 1-3 mm, while the day before is likely to be the wettest day. "Very high [90%] chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening," is what it states, reports ESPNCricinfo.

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As for the Indo-Pak tie in Melbourne in the evening, things look far from promising, with a 90% chance of rain, which will likely be 10-25 mm. While five overs will be the minimum number of required overs for a tie, there are no reserve days in place for the group stage or Super 12, barring the semis and the final.

The final day of the group stage in Hobart could also be dicey, with 60% chances of rain, as Ireland will be facing the Windies, while Scotland takes on Zimbabwe. The city would also be hosting matches on Saturday and Sunday, with shower forecast over the weekend. However, the group stage's final day in Geelong has fine weather, with a tiny percentage of rainfall chances.

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However, the weather in the west looks promising, with Perth to witness an interrupted game between England and Afghanistan on Saturday evening. The competition would move to Brisbane and Adelaide later during the month. Although it was reported last month by the Bureau of Meteorology that La Niña might not last the entire summer, it is still not a piece of encouraging news for the event.

"At the moment, this La Niña isn't looking particularly strong, and it's looking like it will peak probably fairly early in the summer or late in the spring. It is a bit unusual and different to the La Niñas that we've seen recently," head of long-range forecasting, Andrew Watkins, reported to ABC.

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