India Vs Pakistan: Excessive Rain Predicted In Melbourne, Washout Threat Looms Large On T20 World Cup Blockbuster Contest

The India-Pakistan cricketing battle arguably remains the most anticipated contest in the sport. The hype for the October 23 clash between the two sides has been building since the schedule of the T20 World Cup 2022 was announced. But, just days ahead of the blockbuster match, a piece of worrying news has emerged from Melbourne, with a rain threat looming large on Sunday. India and Pakistan are scheduled to begin their T20 World Cup campaign at the MCG on Sunday but the match is under the threat of a washout because of the demoralising weather forecast.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology of the Australian Government, there remains an 80% chance of showers on Sunday, mostly in the evening.

“Cloudy. High (80%) chance of showers, most likely in the evening. Winds southerly 15 to 25 km/h turning southeasterly during the evening,” suggests the website of BOM.

It isn’t just Sunday that has such high chances of rain. In fact, there are 95% chances of rain in Melbourne, both on Friday and Saturday (the two days before India’s match against Pakistan).

Friday’s Forecast as per BOM: “Partly cloudy. Very high (95%) chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. The chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds.”

Saturday’s Forecast as per BOM: “Cloudy. Very high (95%) chance of showers, most likely in the morning and afternoon. The chance of a thunderstorm in the morning and afternoon. Light winds becoming southwesterly 15 to 25 km/h during the morning then tending southerly 15 to 20 km/h during the afternoon.”

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The situation, hence, will make it incredibly tricky for the ground staff to prepare the conditions for Sunday’s match.

It also has to be noted that there’s no reserve day in place for the Indo-Pak match on Sunday. The ICC has only kept the option of a reserve day for the semi-finals and finals.