The T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 match between India and Pakistan, to be played on October 23, could be heavily affected by rain according to the weather forecast for Melbourne on Sunday.

The highly-anticipated match, which is the opening fixture of both team’s World Cup campaigns, is set to be played at the iconic  Melbourne Cricket Ground. There’s been plenty of chatter for months ahead of the game, given the background of the India-Pakistan rivalry and the presence of a number of high-profile T20 cricketers on each side.

However, rain could end up playing spoilsport, as per weather predictions for the end of the week.

India v Pakistan v rain: What does the weather forecast say?

According to the Australian Government’s Bureau of Meteorology, there’s a 60% chance of rain affecting the fixture at the time of writing, with the maximum temperature hovering around 20 degrees Celsius. The forecast currently predicts anywhere between two and five millimeters of rainfall, with the sky expected to be cloudy throughout the match, and a medium (60 per cent) chance of showers, most likely in the evening. The match is scheduled to begin at 7pm local time.

T20 World Cup 2022 schedule: Full list of fixtures can be found here.

According to Weather.com, though, there’s a 2% chance of rain at 7pm local time, with South-East winds coming in at 26 kph. At 8pm and 9pm local time, there’s a 4% chance of rain and at 10pm local time, the chances of rain stand at 5%.

Inclement weather has already been a topic of discussion in the initial stages of the tournament. On October 19, all three warm-up matches were affected by rain: the Bangladesh-South Africa and India-New Zealand fixtures were abandoned without a ball being bowled, while the Afghanistan-Pakistan game had to be suspended without any result. Fortunately, rain is yet to affect the Group Stage fixtures, which serve as a qualifying round with four teams going into the Super 12.

Along with the India-Pakistan marquee clash, rain could also have a say during the opening Super 12 fixture between Australia and New Zealand a day before. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, there’s a 90% chance of rain in Sydney on October 22, also with a chance of severe thunderstorms.

Rain has affected several parts of Australia this month, with flooding affecting segments of Victoria, and heavy rainfall predictions for New South Wales and Queensland. The South and South-East regions are expected to be affected by rain and floods for at least the next few days.

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