India’s opening encounter at the 2022 T20 World Cup is a highly anticipated encounter against Pakistan on Sunday. However, according to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, a full match without delay is unlikely to take place.
- Advertisement -
The Bureau has flagged a 90% chance of rain in Melbourne on Sunday on their website, currently estimating that the highest possibility of showers to take place is late afternoon and early evening, which will likely derail the marquee matchup in some form.
The subcontinent rivalry is one of the highest anticipated ones in the sport, and the fanfare is just as high in Melbourne this year. The MCG is fully sold out for the match on Sunday, and over 100,000 people are expected in the stadium on the day, with hundreds of millions more watching from home. The Asia Cup match between the two teams in August pulled a total of 133 million viewers in India, and the global total crossed 200 million.
Rain on Sunday would not just be catastrophic for fans who are waiting to see the old rivals clash, but also for organisers and the ICC. According to the Daily Telegraph, T20 World Cup’s ticketed spectators are entitled to a full refund if less than 10 overs of action take place.
- Advertisement -
So, if rain delays the contest massively or the match is washed out, the ICC may have to shell out a figure close to $7 million in refunds. While reserve days are in place for semifinals and finals, group matches will be washed out with rain awarding a point each to both teams.
Recently, India’s final warmup match against New Zealand in Brisbane, and the one between Bangladesh and South Africa in Albion, were both washed out without a result due to rain.
