People are glued to their TV sets for the epic clash between India and Pakistan is likely to start on time as the rain is predicted to stop in the morning. However, England’s Met department’s forecast predicts 50 percent chance of rain in the afternoon, just around the second half of the play. If it does rain, it is expected to continue till 7 pm in the evening in UK local time.
As per Accuweather, Manchester will see a couple of showers from morning till evening. The only silver lining is that it might not rain consistently but there may be some interruptions in the match, which could make the toss very, very crucial. As the day progresses, there could be more rain as cloud cover percentage during the evening time is 95 percent, which increases the chances of the shower. Possibility of the sun coming out on Sunday is as bleak as AB de Villiers returning to play for Proteas again. Temperatures, on Sunday, may rise from 14°C at 10 am to a maximum of 17°C, which is around a degree below normal for the time of year. The southwesterly winds are expected to be gentle, around 16 to 22 kmph, which will make the conditions feel a further degree or two cooler. The relative humidity is likely to range between 64 to 79% during the match with the possibility of rains pegged at around 70% by the evening.
Today, Manchester will see mostly two colours painted from one end to the other — blue and green. The blue of India and the green of Pakistan as the marquee cricket contest between the two nations is set to take place in ICC World Cup 2019 at the Old Trafford stadium. This is a game of high significance in terms of semi-finals qualification, and that is all it should be.
There is a nervous buzz in the city. It rained in the afternoon on the eve of the match and Pakistan had to train indoors, but then it cleared up in the evening and night. It was cool and sunny at around 8.30 pm and didn't rain throughout the evening. That would have settled some nerves temporarily. But well, it's the English weather and it's as unpredictable as Pakistan.
Pitch report:
Out of 45 ODIs at the Old Trafford in Manchester, only 18 went in favour of the team batting first. In the last five List A games, the average score was 260. The team that wins the toss should opt to field first, bearing in mind the adverse weather conditions. Historically, Manchester track has favoured pacers. But Sunday's track seems flat and hence the batters would look to reap full reward from the pitch.
