The much-awaited T20 World Cup final between Pakistan and England is set to be played at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia on November 13 (Sunday).
As fans wait with baited breath for the clash of the titans, a bit of a dampener is developing on the horizon.
The match is expected to be washed out by rain.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology of the Australian Government, there is a 95 per cent chance that Sunday will bring showers (8 to 20 mm). To make matters worse, Monday’s outlook is the same as Sunday’s. That is bad news for the 90,000 fans expected to show up at the stadium for the clash.
Under tournament playing conditions, if the final is abandoned, no result is possible or if a Super Over cannot be completed after a tie, “the teams shall be declared joint winners”.
There is another possibility that the final could be reduced to as short as a 10-overs-a-side game, even if the reserve day is activated in case of rain. It is pertinent to mention that in the semis and final, both teams must bat for a minimum of 10 overs to constitute a game.
Whether a match is resumed in the revised conditions is the key in determining how the game would continue on Monday at 3 pm, the scheduled starting time.
Prior to this, three T20 World Cup matches at the iconic MCG have already been abandoned due to bad weather.
In the 2002 Champions Trophy tournament, both Sri Lanka and India were declared winners because the final match couldn’t be completed in the two days allocated to it due to rain.
