India versus Pakistan, perhaps the most anticipated clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, will finally unfold at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium on Sunday, October 23. The excitement is sky high with the arch-rivals clashing for the third time in the year, but the fans could be in for heartache if the rain gods play spoilsport.
READ: ICC T20 World Cup: Ireland wins the toss and opts to bat first, Prathum Nissanka rested
The forecast for the rest of Sunday looks a tad better. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, there is a 70 percent chance of rain on Sunday, between 2 to 5 mm. “Cloudy. High (70%) chance of showers, most likely this evening,” it further states. It is also worth noting that reserve days have been scheduled for both semifinals and finals. However, there are no reserve days for the league stage.
Current Weather report of Melbourne
There is some good news coming in while Melbourne has woken up to overcast skies, rain has stayed away so far. The forecast for the remainder of the day looks promising. India even practiced in dry conditions on the eve of its match against Pakistan.
Pitch Report
The Melbourne pitch is known for being a well-balanced venue for both bat and ball. The bowlers will get good bounce and carry in the early stages of the match. With the overcast conditions, the ball is expected to swing. The bounce will remain consistent and the batters will get value for their shots. The spinners might not get much help off the track.
India (IND) vs Pakistan (PAK) Possible XIs
India Probable Playing XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal
Pakistan Probable Playing XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Haider Ali, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi
