As arch-rivals India and Pakistan face off in yet another titanic clash in the World Cup match in Manchester on Sunday, the possibility of rain has put a dampener on the proceedings. This comes after India’s last game in the tournament against New Zealand was washed out due to rain.
Fans of both the neighbouring nations are keeping their fingers crossed so that the match can be played to the full length of the 50 overs.
More than the team line-up or the toss, the probability of rain is on everybody’s mind this time.
Weather in #Manchester is the top most search on google today (if you type weather in...)
— Poo-dina Proton (@antitechnocrat) June 16, 2019
And I bet not a single local resident would be bothered about it.
That’s #INDvsPAK for you!#CWC2019 @cricketworldcup @ICC #ManchesterWeather pic.twitter.com/n4ujcyQNmB
It is reported that loads of engineers in #Google are wondering why there is a sudden surge in the search term 'Weather in Manchester'
— Ambi Moorthy (@iAmbii) June 16, 2019
The only birthday gift that I want today is an
uninterrupted-by-rain, #cricket match-of-the-world cup between #IndiaVsPakistan #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/uOoje91W87
Google search on "Manchester weather" shows more links about the match than the weather itself. Such is the frenzy around the contest! #INDvPAK #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/3JQ1zuk2FE
— Krishnadev Roy (@the_krishnadev) June 16, 2019
The match will start at 10:30 am local time (3pm, Indian Standard Time). As of now, weathermen have predicted light drizzle between 12pm- 1pm local time. There were hardly any rains on Saturday after heavy showers lashed on Friday which meant that the outfield will be close to normal conditions.
Meanwhile, fans have been logging into Google to know the weather conditions ahead of the match, with the weather search witnessing a spike.
Sunday - India v Pakistan:
— Manchester Weather (@RainorshineManc) June 15, 2019
Warm sunny spells to begin but scattered showers will arrive during the afternoon. Breezy. Feeling quite warm though with highs of 18°C. #INDvPAK #CricketWorldCup pic.twitter.com/fUxOFU5JRj
Ground staff at the Old Trafford stadium have taken elaborate measures to control the situation and have tried to get the outfield prepared in the best possible condition with the help of halogen lamps and other lesser known methods.
For most of the game, the weather is expected to remain overcast and breezy even though the sun may be spotted in the early hours of Sunday.
The cloudy sky is expected to favour the seam bowlers, and the team winning the toss is likely to bowl first.
Teams
India: Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, MS. Dhoni, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and Shikhar Dhawan.
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi.