T20 World Cup: Will rain wreak havoc in Melbourne when India take on arch-rivals Pakistan?

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 is all set to kick off with Australia vs New Zealand, Group 1 match on Sunday. Day 2 of the Super 12 stage will see arch-rivals India and Pakistan going against each other in a high-voltage match. However, as per the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology, there is an 80% chance of rain predicted for Sunday in Melbourne, with between 3 to 8mm of rain.

Australia is currently affected by heavy downpours due to a climatic phenomenon called La Nina. It is a weather phenomenon that occurs in Australia and several other parts of the world in every few years. La Nina leads to excessive cloud covers and rainfall, with the eastern, northern, and central parts of the country, set to be affected the most. 

More about the La Nina phenomenon

The phenomenon has last observed in Australia in 2016 and a report by Fox Sports claims it has occurred in Australia 16 times in the last 122 years. Meanwhile, several games in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 have already been affected by rain and bad weather. India’s warm-up match against New Zealand on October 19 was called off without a single ball being bowled due to heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, a report by The Daily Telegraph claims that the World Cup organisers will have to spend USD 7 million in compensation due to La Nina. If the match gets affected by rain and less than 10 overs are played during the match, the spectators will receive a full refund. As per the Bureau of Meteorology, there is a very high chance of rain in Melbourne on Sunday.

Rohit Sharma sheds light on the importance of toss if rain affects IND vs PAK

If India vs Pakistan match gets affected due to rain, both teams will be awarded one point each as the organizers haven’t kept reserve days for group-stage matches. This comes as a massive factor to worry for fans, who witness iconic India vs Pakistan matches only during ICC or ACC-organized tournaments. In the pre-match press conference on Saturday, India captain Rohit Sharma spoke about the predictions of rain in the match.

On being asked about the toss being important due to the rain factor, Rohit said, “In hindsight, if you look at it yes it does, become a little important. I have been hearing about the Melbourne weather for a while now and it keeps changing.  In the morning when I woke up, a lot of the buildings were under clouds. And now you suddenly see sunshine. So you don’t really know what is going to happen tomorrow”. 

The captain further added that the team is ready to play a shorter game if the situation demands it. The India vs Pakistan match is scheduled to be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. The match will begin at 1:30 PM IST on October 23, Sunday.